News 07:00
BULLETIN 8 January 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Justice and Correctional Services minister Ronald Lamola says South Africa has taken an important action against Israel to the International Court of Justice
# MK Party member and funder, Vusi Motha, says he splashed 400-thousand-rand for the Mpumalanga event
# And, a woman in her 90s has been pulled alive from rubble five days after the Japan earthquake
# Justice and Correctional Services minister Ronald Lamola says South Africa has taken an important action against Israel to the International Court of Justice, to stop the genocide that is currently happening in Gaza. Lamola was speaking during a church service in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, as part of the ANC buildup programme to the January 8 Statement, which will be held at the Mbombela Stadium this Saturday. He says it is important to act now:
Meanwhile, a former International Criminal Court prosecutor, Phakiso Mochochoko says South Africa is embracing international criminal law at The Hague over genocide in Gaza. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation announced that it approached Former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke to join the bench of 15 permanent judges in an ad hoc capacity. South Africa has defined acts of the Israel Defense Forces as genocide. The case will be heard at The Hague on Thursday and Friday this week. Mochochoko told SABC NEWS South Africa wants the rule of law to be respected:
# The former mayor of Mkhondo, who is the financial muscle behind the largest gathering of uMkhonto weSizwe Party supporters, says the event in Mpumalanga cost him around 400-thousand-rand. Vusi Motha was arrested a year ago for the possession of an unlicenced firearm. He was booted out of the ANC in 2021, and joined the MK Party after a short stint as an EFF member. Motha believes MK offers a home for those who might have been misunderstood in the ANC. More MK Party rallies are expected to follow, with the next in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.
# RCL Foods has withdrawn an application to interdict one of Tongaat Hulett’s rescue plans after engaging with the company’s business rescue practitioners. Selati Sugar had taken issue with a plan that would see money owed to the SA Sugar Association paid into an escrow account only after a rescue plan is implemented. RCL said on Sunday it still has concerns, although the lawfulness of the plan has now been resolved. Amended plans for the company were released last week, with 10 January set as date for a vote on the changes and possibly new ownership.
# An elderly woman in her 90s has been rescued from under the rubble of a two-story house more than five days after a powerful earthquake struck Japan. Rescuers found the woman in Suzu City in Ishikawa prefecture on Saturday evening, 124 hours after the quake struck, and took her to a nearby hospital. A doctor told reporters the woman is well enough to have conversations, but her legs are injured. The 7.5 magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Day triggered tsunami alerts as far away as eastern Russia. At least 126 people have died in the disaster.
# Tennis: Twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Australian Open. The Spaniard’s comeback has been placed on hold following a micro muscle tear he sustained in Brisbane, during his quarter-final match against Australian Jordan Thompson. Nadal announced on social media on Sunday that an MRI scan he underwent in Melbourne revealed the muscle tear and that he would return home to Spain. The injury comes barely a week after he made his comeback from a year-long absence. He underwent hip surgery after an injury at the 2023 Australian Open.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-70-cents and the euro at 20-rand-46-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-78-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-630-dollars-61-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-42-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-2-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….