News 07:00
BULLETIN 29 January 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# A political analyst says the ANC is using the Israel/Gaza issue as an electioneering opportunity
# Jacob Zuma says uMkhonto weSizwe is aiming for a two-thirds majority
# And rugby, the Blitzboks coach says there are lessons to be learned from the team’s performance in Perth
# The ANC is now unashamedly and brazenly using the Israel/Gaza issue as an electioneering opportunity, without any subtlety which points to opportunism. This is the view of political analyst Daniel Silke. Last week, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop killing and harming people in Gaza. This comes after South Africa lodged an application accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Silke says the ANC is desperately seeking an issue that it can score cheap political points given its poor domestic success:
# Former ANC president Jacob Zuma says the uMkhonto weSizwe Party is aiming for a two-thirds majority in the upcoming general elections. He addressed supporters of the newly formed party at a rally at KwaXimba in the west of Durban. Zuma, who is campaigning for the party, says the main priority will be land and giving power back to traditional leaders. Meanwhile, the matter of Zuma’s possible expulsion from the ANC was reportedly discussed at the National Executive Committee meeting at the weekend, but no outright decision has been made.
# The Border Management Authority says it detected 15-thousand-924 individuals who were attempting to enter South Africa without requisite documentation during the 2023/2024 festive season. Between the sixth of last month and the 18th of this month, the agency lawfully processed over five-million travellers across 71 ports of entry. The agency’s commissioner, Mike Masiapato, says six-thousand-455 travellers were denied entry into South Africa for being undesirable, including those who committed crimes in other countries and appeared on the Interpol red list:
# The murder trial of the late former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa will resume in the High Court in Pretoria today. Last week the court heard from lead investigating officer, Bongani Gininda, who testified that two of the five accused implicated Meyiwa’s girlfriend, singer Kelly Khumalo, as the one who ordered them to kill the soccer star. He also testified that communication records between Khumalo and her sister show that, as early as 2013, she wanted to get rid of Meyiwa. He was killed in Vosloorus in 2014.
# Three American troops have been killed and 25 injured in a drone attack in a base in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border. This is the first time American troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war. President Joe Biden says while they are still gathering the facts of this attack, they know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq. He has vowed to hold all those responsible to account.
# Rugby: Springbok Sevens coach, Sandile Ngcobo, says he is happy with how they finished the Perth Sevens tournament in Australia, beating France 24-5 to finish in fifth place. Argentina won their second successive tournament to retain their place at the top of the standings, while the Blitzboks are now tied in fourth spot with Ireland, behind Australia and Fiji after three tournaments. Ngcobo says with such tough competition, they need to be clinical and show up in every single game:
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-77-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 42-thousand-258-dollars-95-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-23-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-9-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….