News 06:00

BULLETIN 3 November 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa hosts a secret retreat with leaders of political parties in the government of national unity
# Parliament seeks an in-person appearance of remanded detainee Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala
# And cricket: India beat South Africa to win maiden Women’s ODI World Cup trophy

# President Cyril Ramaphosa and leaders of political parties represented in the government of national unity met at the Cradle Boutique Hotel in Gauteng over the weekend. The Presidency says the GNU Leaders’ Retreat provided a platform for political leadership of governing parties to reflect on collaboration among parties across the political spectrum within the framework of the 2024 post-election statement of intent. According to reports, a significant portion of the closed-door discussions revolved around the critical state of local governance and next year’s elections.

# Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee will work with authorities to have remanded detainee Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala appear before it in person, a historic first. Matlala faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and money laundering. Committee member Julius Malema says his appearance is vital for ongoing oversight. More testimonies are expected when the committee resumes this week:

# South Africa is hosting the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting in Limpopo this week, ahead of the November G20 Leaders’ Summit. Discussions will focus on health financing for universal coverage, access to novel TB vaccines, global fund replenishment, and making Lenacapavir widely available. Delegates include World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus, G20 Health and Finance Ministers, Global Fund’s Peter Sands, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director-general, Jean Kaseya.

# The DA in the Western Cape has accused the ANC national government of failing citizens by allowing SAPS detective units to collapse under impossible workloads. A parliamentary reply revealed detectives handling far beyond the 60-case benchmark, some with over 300 cases. DA’s Benedicta van Minnen says the crisis denies justice and fuels impunity. She demands urgent recruitment and policing power devolution to restore safety and accountability:

# British police say there’s nothing to suggest the stabbing attack on board a Doncaster-London train on Saturday was a terrorist incident. Four of the nine people initially thought to have life-threatening injuries have been discharged from the hospital, while two remain in a life-threatening condition. Prime minister Keir Starmer described the attack as appalling and deeply concerning. British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless says two people have been arrested:

# Cricket: India defeated South Africa by 52 runs to claim their first Women’s ODI World Cup trophy in Mumbai. Opener Shafali Verma scored 87 off 78 balls as the co-hosts posted 298 for seven, the second-highest score in a final. In reply, captain Laura Wolvaardt scored an impressive 101 off 98 balls, but that was not enough as South Africa were bowled out for 246. Deepti Sharma took five wickets. India is just the fourth team to win the ODI World Cup, joining England, Australia, and New Zealand.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-28-cents and the euro at 19-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 110-thousand-284-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-987-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….