News 09:00

BULLETIN 30 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# There are alleged inconsistencies in the Justice minister’s loan agreement
# The DA calls for swift action following the deadly mass shooting in Lusikisiki
# And golf: The USA wins the Presidents Cup for the 10th straight time

# The loan agreement that Justice minister Thembi Simelane is relying on to validate the money she received from VBS-corruption accused Ralliom Razwinane appears to have been backdated. According to a report by the Daily Maverick and News24, the loan agreement was signed on the 30th of September 2016, however, there are two consecutive paragraphs written in the future and past tenses, which appear to contradict the date the document was signed. Simelane has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in obtaining the 575-thousand-600-rand loan while she was Polokwane mayor.

# ActionSA has condemned the continued, and deliberate, misnaming of the party as ASA, saying this is a wilful disregard for the identity it has chosen to define itself by. This past week DA veteran Douglas Gibson referred to ActionSA as ASA, which is the same abbreviation for Athletics South Africa. The party’s, Lerato Ngobeni, says this deliberate misnaming of ActionSA is more than just an inconvenience, it echoes the painful legacy of the country’s past:

# The DA is calling for the police to establish a multidisciplinary team to ensure that the perpetrators of the Lusikisiki mass shootings are swiftly brought to justice in the Eastern Cape. Eighteen people including 12 women were shot and killed in two separate incidents on Saturday, while a two-month-old baby was unharmed. The DA’s, Ian Cameron, says this tragedy is symptomatic of the rising tide of intimidation, extortion, and violence against women and children in South Africa:

# Over 100 people have died in the US since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida last Thursday as a category four storm, with many still unaccounted for. Buncombe County in North Carolina has been the hardest hit with 30 people dead. Emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, have been approved. President Joe Biden says he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to determine what more can be done to accelerate support to those who need it most.

# Golf: Team USA secured a record-extending tenth consecutive Presidents Cup by beating the International Team at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada. The US took an 11-7 advantage into the final day, having won six of the eight points on offer on Saturday, leaving them requiring just 4.5 more points. Keegan Bradley beat Kim Si-woo to secure the winning point, with the US winning six of the singles matches and tying three. Bradley says the team was incredible:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-8-cents and the euro at 19-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-87-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-361-dollars-31-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-655-dollars-33-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….