News 07:00

BULLETIN 31 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Freedom Front Plus condemns the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat
# Shamila Batohi applauds the NPA’s progress over the past five years
# And cricket: Today’s final T20 between the Proteas and Windies is a dead rubber

# The Freedom Front Plus says the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s decision to expel Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, is a unilateral move that harms South Africa’s interests. The party claims the ANC acted without consulting other government of national unity partners. They warn that the expulsion could jeopardise jobs, investment, and trade, especially amid ongoing African Growth and Opportunity Act negotiations. The FF Plus’s Corné Mulder urges president Cyril Ramaphosa to adopt a balanced, pragmatic foreign policy.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Shaun Edward Byneveldt. This follows South Africa’s decision to declare Israel’s chargé d’affaires unwelcome for violating diplomatic rules. These include insulting president Cyril Ramaphosa and failing to report visits by senior Israeli officials. The latest actions escalate already tense relations between South Africa and Israel. Byneveldt is South Africa’s ambassador to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Israel has no authority to expel him, but could obstruct his access to the West Bank. 

# Outgoing National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi says the National Prosecuting Authority has made significant strides over the past five years, rebuilding a broken institution while delivering its core mandate. Presenting the 2024/25 annual report, Batohi said performance improved from 50-percent of targets in 2020/21 to 86-percent in 2024/25, with the current year tracking at 94-percent. She hailed the solid foundation laid for a stronger, more effective NPA:

# GOOD Party warns that former Presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki may still seek appeals, potentially delaying accountability in the Khampepe commission inquiry. This after Judge Sisi Khampepe dismissed their application to recuse herself, ruling that their claims of bias were unreasonably delayed and lacked merit. GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron urges South Africans to remain vigilant as the inquiry continues to uphold justice in blocked Truth and Reconciliation Commission amnesty prosecutions:

# And finally, sports news:

# Tennis: Novak Djokovic is through to a Grand Slam final for the first time in since Wimbledon 2024. The 38-year-old Serb brought Jannik Sinner’s reign at Melbourne Park to an end, beating the 2024 and 2025 champion in five sets. Djokovic saved all eight break points he faced in the fifth and final set. He will face the Spaniard and world number one Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday in the hope of finally getting his 25th Grand Slam title. Alcaraz earlier overcame fitness issues to win in five sets against Alexander Zverev.

# And cricket: Today’s third and final T20 between South Africa and the West Indies at the Wanderers in Johannesburg will have no bearing on the outcome of the series. The Proteas already clinched it with convincing victories in the first two matches. They won by nine wickets in Paarl and by seven wickets in Centurion. The series is used as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, starting next Saturday, with South Africa playing Canada in their first group match two days later.

Stay tuned for more news………….