News 08:00

BULLETIN 23 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The standing committee on Appropriations wants the Auditor-General’s office capacitated
# AfriForum says the non-payment of TV licences is a sign that the SABC must be privatised
# And the Gauteng DA leader challenges Panyaza Lesufi to debate the water crisis

# Parliament’s standing committee on Appropriations says the Office of the Auditor-General needs to be capacitated, to have more teeth to address funds wasted through fruitless and wasteful expenditure. Thirty-six government departments incurred 1.48-billion-rand in fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the last five years, and 27 state-owned entities incurred over two-billion-rand. Committee chairperson, Mmusi Maimane, says the Auditor-General must use its powers and issue certificates of debt to at least the top five accounting officers of offending departments, adding that this action could prompt greater compliance.

# AfriForum has reiterated its call for the SABC to be privatised, saying this is the only sustainable option for the continued existence of the public broadcaster. The SABC has revealed that fewer people than ever have paid for their licences over the past year. This includes licences for about two-thousand-500 television sets owned by government departments, with an outstanding licence bill of almost 35-million-rand. AfriForum’s, Ernst van Zyl, says the SABC now has the opportunity to escape the existential crisis:

# DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga is challenging premier Panyaza Lesufi to a public debate on the water crisis in the province. The provincial government has implemented level-one water restrictions until March next year to conserve water. Gauteng loses over 40-percent of clean water due to illegal connections and leakages. Msimanga says at the heart of the water crisis, is the failure of the provincial government to prioritise the creation of an infrastructure masterplan:

# Former Abercrombie and Fitch CEO, Michael Jeffries, his partner, Matthew Smith, and middleman James Jacobson have been arrested and charged with running a prostitution and international sex trafficking operation. Jeffries served as CEO of the fashion company from 1992 until 2014. US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, says the indictment states that Jeffries allegedly used his power and influence to target young men with dreams of working in the fashion and modelling industry:

# Cricket: Defending champions the Lions beat the Titans by seven wickets to make the T20 Challenge final on Sunday. The Titans were bowled out for 115, with Nqaba Peter taking four wickets. In reply, Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen shared a second-wicket partnership of 92 as the Lions reached the target losing just three wickets. Today, the North West Dragons take on Western Province in an eliminator, with the winner meeting the Titans in Friday’s second qualifier to determine who faces the Lions in the final.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-54-cents and the euro at 18-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-78-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-967-dollars-70-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-742-dollars-16-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….