News 07:00

BULLETIN 10 September 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC has received a report from the Justice minister on the VBS Bank allegations
# AfriForum demands answers on security failures in the Defence Force
# And iconic actor James Earl Jones has died

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says president Cyril Ramaphosa holds the authority to determine Justice minister Thembi Simelane’s fate in her current role and not the party. In 2016, while serving as mayor of Polokwane, Simelane received a loan linked to Gundo Wealth Solutions, a company implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. At that time, the Polokwane Municipality had illegally invested 349-million-rand in the bank, with the deal brokered by Gundo. Mbalula says the party has received a report from the minister:

# AfriForum has raised concerns over security breaches at the SANDF ammunition depot near Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk says the organisation demands minister of Defense Angie Motshekga to address the issues, including trespassing incidents. He calls for immediate action to secure the facility, warning of risks to both the depot and the surrounding community:

# The state brought an application before the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court for the recusal of presiding magistrate Katlego Mokoena, in the case of controversial Paseka Motsoeneng, popularly known as Pastor Mboro. Motsoeneng’s lawyer rebuked the recusal application, claiming it was another delay by the state. The National Prosecuting Authority Gauteng’s spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, says they believe that Mokoena might not have brought an unbiased mind to adjudicating the case before her.

# The Syrian foreign ministry has condemned Israeli air strikes that killed at least 18 people in central Syria, saying the attack was an act of blatant aggression. Over 30 people were injured in the strikes that hit several military sites, including a scientific research centre near Masyaf that was used to develop weapons. Israel has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria, particularly since Syria is a key route for Iran to send weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

# Tennis: Jessica Pegula replaced Coco Gauff as the United States’ best female player after reaching the final of the US Open, where she lost to Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Pegula is now world number three after Iga Swiatek of Poland and Sabalenka, while Gauff slumped to sixth. Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan remains in fourth, Italian Jasmine Paolini in fifth and China’s Zheng Qinwen in seventh. American Emma Navarro improved four places to eighth. Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Greece’s Maria Sakkari complete the top ten.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-89-cents and the euro at 19-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-39-cents and Bitcoin trades at 56-thousand-832-dollars-68-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-503-dollars-2-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Prolific film, TV, and theatre actor, James Earl Jones, has passed away at the age of 93. He was best known as the voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, and the voice of King Mufasa in Disney’s animated feature The Lion King. During his career spanning over 60 years, Jones won three Tony awards including two Emmys, a Grammy, and an honorary Oscar in 2011. Walt Disney CEO, Bob Iger, says the stories Jones brought to life have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences.

Stay tuned for more news………….