News 08:00

BULLETIN 12 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The government will seek guidance from the Constitutional Court on the asylum ruling
# Home Affairs is developing a biometric online platform to speed up asylum applications
# And, a boat capsizes off Djibouti, leaving 139 migrants, including children, dead

# Government plans to ask the Constitutional Court for more time to implement its ruling that removed procedural barriers to asylum applications. The court declared sections of the Refugees Act, which allowed for immigration officials to deport an asylum seeker if they are in the country without a transit visa, unconstitutional. Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration chairperson minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says government may also ask for a suspension period to give Home Affairs time to build the capacity needed to comply:

Meanwhile, the Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says his department is developing a biometric online platform to speed up asylum applications, strengthen identity verification, and prevent rejected applicants from repeatedly submitting claims to delay their removal. The platform is expected to be operational by 10 November this year. Schreiber says the reforms would draw on the department’s experience in using technology to improve other administrative processes, including the Electronic Travel Authorisation system:

# The Department of Basic Education has applied for leave to appeal against a Limpopo High Court judgment that cleared 50 former matric learners of examination irregularities. The former learners from Baphutheng Secondary School had their 2024 matric results withheld after similarities in their answers to Business Studies paper one and Economics paper two were treated as evidence of “group copying”. The court found that the provincial department failed to establish that the learners had committed examination irregularities. The department believes crucial information was not considered during the ruling.

# The United Nations International Organisation for Migration says at least 139 people, including 15 children, have died after a boat carrying more than 305 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti in East Africa. The boat was travelling from Djibouti towards Yemen when it went down near Guehere, north of Obock. Another 84 are still missing, while 82 people survived the shipwreck. IOM’s Djibouti mission chief Alexandre Coissac called the tragedy a “stark reminder” of the dangers migrants face when seeking a new life elsewhere.

# Soccer: Manchester City beat ten-man Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield to restore their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table. This was City’s first game since an independent commission found the club guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules. The club have appealed the verdict and denies wrongdoing. Goals from Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and substitute Jeremy Doku secured the statement victory. City manager Enzo Maresca calls on his players to ignore the outside noise:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-49-cents and the euro at 18-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-83-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-560-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-203-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-34-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….