News 09:00

BULLETIN 8 December 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The head of Tongaat Hulett, Dan Marokane, is reportedly set to be Eskom’s new CEO
# Action Society calls for a no-bail policy for accused of violent crimes
# And, Hunter Biden is charged with nine counts of tax crimes

# Sugar producer Tongaat Hulett CEO Dan Marokane is reportedly expected to be appointed as the new Eskom CEO, after almost a year-long search. He previously served as the power utility’s head of group capital. Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter abruptly exited his post early in February. According to reports, a special Cabinet meeting has been called for today to approve Marokane’s appointment. Eskom’s spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says the process of the appointment of the CEO is with the shareholder and once a decision is made, an announcement will follow.

# Action Society calls for a no-bail policy for accused of violent crimes against women and children, stating that it should be the standard in South Africa. This stance comes after the Amanzimtoti Magistrate’s Court postponed the bail application of Werner de Jager, accused of killing his wife, Reverend Liezel de Jager, in KwaZulu-Natal in 2021. He will apply for bail on the ninth of January. Action Society’s director of Community Safety, Ian Cameron, believes it is crucial not to allow abusive men to walk free:

# Western Cape premier Alan Winde says he will be writing to president Cyril Ramaphosa to urge him not to sign the National Health Insurance Bill into law. The National Council of Provinces adopted the bill on Wednesday, with eight of the nine provinces; except the Western Cape, voting in favour of the controversial legislation. Winde says as it stands, the NHI Bill conflicts with the provision of the Health Act of 1977 and the concurrency of Health as prescribed by the Constitution:

# US president Joe Biden’s son Hunter has been indicted on nine federal tax charges in California, his second criminal case. The indictment charges the 57-year-old with failure to file and pay taxes, evasion of assessment, and filing a false or fraudulent tax return. Federal prosecutors allege that Biden engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least 26.25-million-rand in federal income taxes for the years 2016 through 2019. He faces a possible 17-year sentence if convicted. In September, he was indicted on federal firearm charges in Delaware.

# Golf: Masters champion and world number three Jon Rahm has become the latest high-profile player to switch to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League. Last year, the Spaniard said that LIV’s three-day events, with shotgun starts and no cut, was not appealing and he was chasing a golfing legacy over money. Rahm, who is reportedly set to earn around 10.6-billion-rand, says this decision was made for many reasons and what he thought was best for him and his family:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-75-cents and the euro at 20-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-459-dollars-12-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-31-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….