News 06:00

BULLETIN 27 February 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Political parties are urged to adhere to the election timetable
# AfriForum says its hate speech case against Julius Malema is off to a strong start
# And, the UN chief warns an offensive on Rafah would be catastrophic

# The Independent Electoral Commission has urged political parties to accept the timetable for the election on 29 May. The IEC dismissed complaints from Arise SA and emphasised the process was well-communicated, with the signature collection portal open since January. The commission’s Nomsa Masuku stresses adherence to the timetable, highlighting key nomination and deposit payment dates. With the voters’ roll closed, the IEC proceeds with voter verification, reaffirming readiness for the elections.

# The speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, must provide information about the Secretary to Parliament’s salary by next week. This follows reports she unilaterally hiked Xolile George’s salary by 70-percent without informing political parties. Parliament’s Powers and Privileges Committee asked Mapisa-Nqakula to provide written explanations for her decision by Monday. The salary was initially advertised for 2.6-million-rand per year, while George earned over five-million-rand as CEO of the Local Government Association.

# North West University professor and an expert in the field of linguistics, doctor Karien van den Berg, testified in the South African Human Rights Commission’s hate speech case against EFF leader Julius Malema. The case got underway in the Equality Court in Cape Town yesterday and relates to Malema’s remarks at the party’s provincial meeting in the Western Cape in October 2020. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl says it agrees with the commission that Malema’s statements amounted to hate speech and incitement to violence:

# KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi says there is no connection between two men arrested in Eswatini and the murder of rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend, Tebello ‘Tibs’ Motsoane. He clarified the brothers, from Durban, will be extradited to South Africa, to face charges of murder and attempted murder in a separate case where a passenger was shot dead in Berea last year. According to Mkhwanazi, Forbes and Motsoane’s case is complex, and updates will be communicated at the appropriate time:

# United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has warned that an all-out Israeli offensive on Rafah would spell the end of UN-led humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza. February registered a 50-percent reduction of humanitarian aid entering Gaza compared to January, due to obstacles including regular closures of crossing points, and the lack of security due to military operations. Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday, that the path to peace begins with full respect for all human rights:

# Rugby: Former Springbok assistant coach Matt Proudfoot is returning home. He was announced as the new coach of the Leopards, with their headquarters in Potchefstroom, North West, just around the corner from his birth town of Klerksdorp. Proudfoot played for Scotland from 1998 until 2003 before filling coaching roles at North West University, Western Province, the Stormers, and Kobelco Steelers. He was involved with the Boks from 2016 until after the 2019 World Cup and then joined England’s coaching staff before a stint with Namibia’s national team.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-30-cents and the euro at 20-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 54-thousand-747-dollars-27-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-32-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….