News 07:00

BULLETIN 11 September 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Julius Malema has slammed Parliament’s ad hoc committee for refusing to subpoena Mkhwanazi
# The National Prosecuting Authority reopens the 48-year-old inquest into Steve Biko’s death
# And athletics: An injury forces Bayanda Walaza to withdraw from the World Championships

# EFF leader Julius Malema has demanded the immediate subpoena of KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to appear before Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing police corruption. The committee is considering changing its terms of reference to allow it to get evidence from other witnesses before Mkhwanazi, who is listed as the first witness to appear. This is as he is set to appear before the Madlanga Commission next week. Malema says Parliament cannot play second fiddle to the commission:

# The National Prosecuting Authority has confirmed that an inquest into the 1977 death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko will reopen on Friday. Biko died in police custody in Pretoria following alleged torture. NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali says the inquest, supported by the Justice Ministry, aims to address past injustices and provide closure to the Biko family and the nation:

# The energy regulator, Nersa, has suspended a staff member over a 54-billion-rand mistake in Eskom’s tariff determination. According to News24 the utility will recover part of the shortfall through higher tariffs of 8.8-percent over two years, covering 35-billion-rand, with the remaining 19-billion-rand to be recovered later. Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the electricity pricing system will be reviewed to make it simpler, clearer, and easier for consumers to understand.

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has apologised to communities affected by water outages, saying the metro is doing everything possible to restore the system. Communities in Westbury, Ebony Park, Tsakane, and Vlaskfontein have taken to the streets demanding a reliable water supply, with some protests turning violent. In Westbury, police fired rubber bullets at residents, leaving at least one person injured. Morero says the water system will take time to recover:

# The Russian Foreign Ministry says its drones had carried out a major attack on military facilities in western Ukraine, but it had not planned to hit any targets in Poland. At least 19 Russian drones entered Warsaw’s airspace on Tuesday evening during attacks on western Ukraine. This marked the first time Russian drones have been downed over the territory of a Nato country. Moscow says Poland has been spreading myths about the drone incursion to escalate the Ukrainian crisis further.

# Athletics: South Africa’s sprint sensation Bayanda Walaza has been forced to withdraw from the World Athletics Championships, which get underway in Tokyo this weekend. The 19-year-old injured his hamstring at the Diamond League Final in Zurich last month. Athletics South Africa says the decision to withdraw Walaza was made in the best interest of the athlete and the integrity of the national team. He will be replaced in the men’s 100-metre event by Retshidisitswe Mlenga. Walaza was also set to participate in the four-by-100 metres relay.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 20-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-8-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-646-dollars-37-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….