News 08:00

BULLETIN 28 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says the ANC is facing a crisis of authority and legitimacy
# Parliament’s portfolio committee on the Police wants an action plan to reduce civil claims
# And minister Lamola and his Ukrainian counterpart will today sign an agreement on a visa waiver

# ANC president says the party is facing a crisis of authority, legitimacy, and trust. He delivered the OR Tambo memorial lecture in Ekurhuleni yesterday evening. Sunday marked the 107th birthday of the late former ANC president Oliver Tambo, the party’s longest-serving president. Ramaphosa says even as the government of national unity continues to make progress, the electoral outcome put in the starkest of terms what the ANC must acknowledge:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police is calling for a tangible action plan to reduce the number of civil claims against the South African Police Service. Last month Police minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that the SAPS is facing more than four-thousand civil claims for wrongful arrests and detentions, valued at more than 2.2-billion-rand for the 2023/2024 financial year. Committee chairperson, Ian Cameron, says the police service needs to consider body cameras as a technological intervention to reduce civil cases.

# The National Economic Development and Labour Council has refused to issue the South African Democratic Teachers Union in the Western Cape a certificate to proceed with its planned strike. The union was planning to protest on Wednesday against the looming cut of two-thousand-400 teachers next year in the province. The protest was set to coincide with Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s tabling of the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement. Nedlac is urging Sadtu to engage the provincial Education Department.

# International Relations and Cooperation minister Ronald Lamola will host his Ukrainian counterpart, minister Andrii Sybiha today. They will sign an agreement on visa waiver for diplomatic service or official passports. The presidency says this agreement will enable South African officials to travel to Ukraine for peace formula meetings without visa logistical impediments. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says it is through the policy of non-alignment that South Africa has been able to engage with both Russia and Ukraine constructively:

# Motorsport: Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won the Mexico Grand Prix, securing his fourth career win in Formula One. McLaren’s Lando Norris cut Red Bull Max Verstappen’s championship lead to 47 points, finishing second with Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc in third. Verstappen, who was given two ten-second penalties for his driving against Norris for two incidents, finished sixth. Sainz says he needed this win:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-69-cents and the euro at 19-rand-9-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-862-dollars-40-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-733-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….