News 07:00

BULLETIN 4 September 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum pushes for US sanctions against Malema
# Three teachers accused of sexually assaulting pupils are removed from a school
# And cycling: A four-time Tour de France winner faces a long recovery process after a serious crash

# AfriForum’s Private Prosecutions Unit, led by Gerrie Nel, has submitted a dossier to US authorities calling for sanctions against EFF leader Julius Malema under the Global Magnitsky Act. Enacted in 2016, the global legislation allows governments to impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for serious human rights abuses and corruption. The dossier cites allegations of corruption, money laundering, and links to the VBS and On-Point scandals. He argues that South African authorities have failed to act, making international pressure necessary.

# National Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya’s legal team has requested the Pretoria High Court to decide which forum is appropriate to hear his case. Sibiya is contesting National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola’s decision to place him on special leave following allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. His counsel, Kameel Premhid, argued that it would be more suitable for the commission to handle the matter rather than Masemola:

# Deputy Chief Justice Dunstan Mlambo has warned that without independence, the legitimacy of the judiciary and its ability to safeguard freedom would collapse. He delivered the keynote address at the opening of the J20 Summit of Constitutional and Supreme Courts in Johannesburg yesterday. The two-day summit is being held under the theme, Justice in a time of Change: Independence, Innovation and Co-operation. Mlambo says people rely on the courts for fairness and certainty, and if independence is compromised, so too is the protection of their rights.

# The Gauteng Education Department says three teachers, accused of sexually assaulting pupils, have been removed from the Tiyelelani Secondary School in Soshanguve, Pretoria. The trio is known for allegedly sexually assaulting pupils, while a bus driver is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a pupil. Learning at the school has been disrupted, as protesting pupils accused the principal of not acting on the allegations. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says an investigation into the allegations is underway:

# US president Donald Trump has dismissed renewed calls for the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. This comes as lawmakers are pushing for more files related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender’s case to be released. On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee released over 33-thousand pages of files related to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019. Trump has called the transparency push from lawmakers and survivors of Epstein a “Democrat hoax”:

# Cycling: Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome won’t jump on a bike anytime soon after sustaining multiple injuries during training in France last week. He was airlifted to a hospital in Toulon, with the extent of his injuries only revealed now. Froome’s wife, Michelle, told the media the 40-year-old Briton suffered a potentially deadly tear in the protective sac around the heart, as well as broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a back fracture. She says it will be a long recovery process.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-66-cents and the euro at 20-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-890-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-547-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-7-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….