News 09:00

BULLETIN 6 December 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission extends its condolences to the family of the slain witness
# AfriForum continues raising international awareness of expropriation and discriminatory policies
# And rugby: The Stormers edge Bayonne in the Champions Cup

# The Madlanga Commission has extended its deepest condolences to the family of Witness D who was shot and killed in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni last night. Witness D, identified in media reports as Marius van der Merwe testified at the commission against suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, alleging that he ordered a cover-up of a murder and the dumping of a body. The commission spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels says the commission would like to acknowledge Van der Merwe’s contribution towards uncovering serious allegations of criminality and corruption in the City of Ekurhuleni and Metro Police.

Meanwhile, the MK Party says the government of national unity failure to safeguard individuals that appear before the Madlanga Commission and the Parliament Ad Hoc Committee is a clear betrayal of justice. MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela says the government must take responsibility:

# AfriForum says European support for South Africa’s minority communities is growing as awareness of abuses by the ANC-led government increases. The civil rights organisation briefed the European Parliament on farm murders, property threats, and discriminatory policies. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl says their ‘the world must know’ campaign aims to raise global attention to human rights violations and strengthen protections for Afrikaner communities and heritage:

# The Minerals Council South Africa says the mining industry spent over five-billion-rand on training employees and community youth last year. Nearly 860-thousand training sessions were held, and more than 51-thousand community members, including over 36-thousand young people, received skills training. The industry also provided over one-billion-randin bursaries in the past five years. The council’s Allan Seccombe says safety improved with 42 fatalities, the lowest on record, and women now make up 21-percent of mining employees, showing steady progress.

# The family members of the 17 men who are currently stuck in the war in Ukraine are calling on government to assist to bring them back to South Africa. The families staged a picket outside the Durban City Hall yesterday demanding government intervention as their sons hunt drones on Ukraine’s frontlines. The men were recruited by individuals in July this year allegedly linked to the MK Party to join the Russian forces in its war with Ukraine.

# And rugby: The Stormers launched their Champions Cup campaign with a hard-fought 26-17 victory against Bayonne at the Stade Jean Duauger in the southwest of France last night. Despite playing with 14 men for a lengthy period after a red card, the Stormers’ dominant scrum and the boot of flyhalf Clinton Swart scoring 16 points proved decisive. Paul de Villiers scored the late try that secured the crucial win. This afternoon, the Bulls take on Bordeaux at Loftus, and tomorrow afternoon, the Sharks clash with Toulouse in France.

Stay tuned for more news………….