News 09:00

BULLETIN 18 November 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The JG Zuma Foundation criticises the Regulator’s directive on Jacob Zuma’s tax records
# Parliament’s ad hoc committee to reconvene to hear evidence from professor De Haas
# And five sluice gates are opened at the Vaal Dam

# The JG Zuma Foundation says it is cautioning the South African Revenue Service and all state institutions to resist being weaponised for political purposes. This comes as the Information Regulator has ordered SARS to release former president Jacob Zuma’s tax records for the tax years 2010 to 2018. The regulator has found that the revenue service was not justified in denying access to the requested information. The foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi, says the Tax Administration Act remains the governing law on taxpayer information:

# Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing the damning allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, is set to resume today. The committee halted its proceedings last Thursday after suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, gave conflicting evidence during his testimony. KwaZulu-Natal violence monitor, professor Mary de Haas, is set to testify today. Mkhwanazi told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that De Haas was very vocal regarding the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team and the fact that it was still operational.

# The Department of Water and Sanitation has opened five sluice gates at the Vaal dam following heavy rainfall in Gauteng and Mpumalanga. The outflows of the Bloemhof dam have also been increased. The department’s spokesperson, Mandla Mathebula, says that as the rainfall continues, most of the dams will also experience high volumes. He adds that the outflows are necessary to manage the river systems for the potential increases in inflows into the catchment, owing to continuous rainfall:

# US president Donald Trump says he will sign a bill compelling the release of the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files if it reaches his desk. The House of Representatives is expected to vote to release the files today. Last week, House Democrats released emails from the Epstein estate that mentioned Trump by name multiple times. Trump says his administration has already given House committees tens of thousands of documents, and repeated that the Epstein matter is a hoax:

# Soccer: Four-time winners Germany have booked their place in next year’s World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Julian Nagelsmann’s side thrashed Slovakia 6-0 in the last game of Group A. The Netherlands also qualified for the global showpiece, after cruising to a 4-0 win over Lithuania. Poland and Slovakia secured their places in the play-offs. The playoff draw will take place on Thursday and will include 16 teams competing for four World Cup spots in games played in March next year.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-827-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-10-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….