News 08:00

BULLETIN 15 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA says last year’s special remission process was a disguise to release Jacob Zuma
# Political pundits believe the uMkhonto weSizwe party will not succeed
# And cricket, the Paarl Royals win a high-scoring game against the Pretoria Capitals

# The DA says it is shocked at the number of criminals who have reoffended since being released in terms of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s special remission process last year. Former president Jacob Zuma along with 16-thousand-472 inmates were released in a process from August until November, in a bid to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Ninety-seven of those released have been rearrested. The DA’s, Janho Engelbrecht, says it is clear that the ANC government used a state programme, to disguise the release of Zuma from prison:

# University of KwaZulu-Natal senior political lecturer, Zakhele Ndlovu, believes the newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe party punted by former ANC president Jacob Zuma, would be lucky to get more than five-percent of votes in KwaZulu-Natal and very little elsewhere. The party was launched publicly in Soweto on the 16th of last month. Ndlovu has told the Daily Maverick that uMkhonto weSizwe was perceived as Zuma’s stokvel, dominated by Zulus, and people were unhappy about how the current ANC leadership had treated them. He adds that he does not see the party succeeding.

# Johannesburg Emergency Services will today continue the search for the woman who was swept away by flash floods in Sunninghill on Friday evening. The woman was driving on Rivonia Road, near Witkoppen, when the vehicle she was travelling in was swept into the Sand River. EMS spokesperson, Xolile Khumalo, says rescue workers will continue searching for the woman along the Jukskei River running through the Leeuwkop Prison in Sunninghill:

# Six people have been arrested on suspicion of a plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange by preventing it from opening today. According to reports, the group hoped to cause huge economic damage by climbing on top of two revolving doors at the front of the building, armed with red paint-filled fire extinguishers, before locking themselves to the glass entrance using bike locks. The Metropolitan Police says this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully.

# Cricket: The Paarl Royals clinched a ten-run victory against Pretoria Capitals in their SA20 match in Centurion yesterday. Mitchell van Buuren and David Miller put on a 141-run partnership as they led the Royals to 210 for three. In reply, Rilee Rossouw and Will Jacks spearheaded the Capitals’ run chase with a partnership of 147, a record for any wicket at Centurion. Player of the Match, Lungi Ngidi, claimed four wickets to restrict the Capitals to 200 for seven in their 20 overs. Ngidi says their overall performance was good:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-62-cents and the euro at 20-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 42-thousand-525-dollars-50-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-57-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….