News 09:00

BULLETIN 29 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission won’t comment on reports that its evidence leader wants to leave
# The mayor of Cape Town says prisoners have no right to coordinate crime from behind bars
# And golf: Team Europe secure a historic Ryder Cup victory

# The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has declined to confirm whether its evidence leader, advocate Terry Motau, has reportedly requested to leave the commission. This development comes less than two weeks after the inquiry commenced on 17 September. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says they will not publicly discuss internal staffing matters. He added that the commission is squarely focused on its job, to conduct an inquiry into the gravely serious allegations that South Africa’s law enforcement agencies have been infiltrated and unduly influenced by criminal syndicates and drug cartels.

# The DA Students Organisation has strongly condemned the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s persistent failure to fulfil its most basic obligations to South African students. DASO’s Andrea Martinez says in April 2025, former minister of Higher Education, Nobuhle Nkabane, announced a 4-percent increase to student allowances. She says months later, this promise remains unfulfilled for countless students across campuses. She adds DASO is calling on all stakeholders to hold NSFAS accountable for its promises:

# Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says that prisoners do not have the right to unfettered communication beyond prison walls, especially when they are coordinating crime from behind bars. This follows the South African Prisoner Organisation for Human Rights’ opposition to the metro’s calls for signal-blocking and communication interception strategies to be piloted at Pollsmoor prison. Hill-Lewis says underworld figures inside Pollsmoor are pulling strings on the outside, including extortion threats and disruptions of infrastructure projects:

# Moldova’s ruling pro-European party, led by president Maia Sandu, is on track for victory in a critical parliamentary election that was overshadowed by Russian interference claims. With 96-percent of the votes counted, Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity was leading with 46.6-percent of the vote, while the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc had 26.6-percent. Polls suggest Sandu’s party will remain the largest party but could face challenges in her push to deliver on a pledge of European Union membership within a decade.

# Golf: Team Europe managed to withstand a final-day fightback from Team US to clinch back-to-back Ryder Cup titles with a 15-13 victory at Bethpage Black in New York. Shane Lowry found a final-hole birdie to claim a half point against Russell Henley and ensure that Team Europe would retain the trophy. Tyrrell Hatton’s tie with Collin Morikawa handed Luke Donald’s side the outright victory, a first on American soil since 2012. Donald says he couldn’t be prouder of his team’s fighting spirit:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-30-cents and the euro at 20-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-23-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-857-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-798-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….