News 08:00

BULLETIN 9 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF leader pushes the MK Party to name the judges accused of wrongdoing
# The president of the ANC Youth League criticises Gwede Mantashe’s comments on youth unemployment
# And, veld fires in the Eastern Cape leave several areas without electricity

# EFF leader Julius Malema has warned against tarnishing the judiciary with unverified corruption claims. Speaking during Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating political interference in the justice system, Malema challenged the MK Party’s David Skosana to name specific judges if allegations existed. The committee will review any allegations at its next meeting ahead of hearings resuming next week. He said sweeping accusations without evidence risk undermining the integrity of the courts:

# ANC Youth League president Collen Malatjie has become the latest political leader to publicly criticise party chairperson Gwede Mantashe following his controversial remarks on unemployment. Mantashe recently suggested that unemployed young South Africans are overly dependent on the government to provide jobs rather than actively seeking employment. Malatjie says the ANC does not need irresponsible leaders:

# Eskom reports that veld fires have caused a major outage in the Kouga, Humansdorp, and Sarah Baartman areas in the Eastern Cape. Four major power lines have tripped, and some are feared to have been damaged or destroyed by the fires. This has led to 12 substations, including Melkhout, Sunnyside, Kouga, and Tsitsikamma, being without electricity. Eskom says it will commence with repair work once the affected areas are declared safe to access. The fires have resulted in evacuation orders being issued by the municipality.

# Minnesota governor Tim Walz says president Donald Trump’s administration has denied state officials from participating in an investigation into the fatal shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency officer in Minneapolis. Thirty-seven-year-old Renee Nicole Good died on Wednesday after being shot in her car by an ICE agent. Walz says he is worried the federal government would not be able to carry out an unbiased investigation:

# Cricket: The SA20 encounter between the Joburg Super Kings and the Paarl Royals was abandoned after the first innings at the Wanderers due to inclement weather. Faf du Plessis and James Vince shared an opening partnership of 73 as the homeside posted 187 for six in their 20 overs. However, the visitors could not start their innings as lightning and rain resulted in the match being abandoned. Both teams were awarded two points, lifting the Super Kings to 17 points, while the Royals remain in third on 15 points. 

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-52-cents and the euro at 19-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-61-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-464-dollars-1-cent a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-7-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….