News 09:00

BULLETIN 8 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Police registers inquest docket after a man implicated at Madlanga Commission took his own life
# South Africa will be withdrawing its troop contribution to the DRC
# And rugby, the Blitzboks are through to the finals of the Sevens in Perth

# Police has confirmed an inquest docket has been registered after a 41-year-old man allegedly shot and killed himself at a filling station in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni yesterday. Wiandré Pretorius was implicated at the Madlanga Commission in the murder of a Brakpan suspect in 2022. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says all role players including  police detectives and forensic experts attended to the crime scene. She says the matter is under investigation. 

# The South African National Parks is concerned by the increasing number of poaching incidents in the Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga. Spokesperson Rey Thakhuli says rangers came into contact with suspected poachers at the Malelane section of the park lasst Thursday. While no arrests were made, a high-caliber rifle and bags were recovered at the scene. He says in the Stolznek section of the park on Friday, one suspect was fatally wounded during a confrontation with rangers:

# Activists and Citizens Forum says water supply challenges have reached a crisis stage across the country. Spokesperson Dennis Bloem says the water problem is a combination of sabotage, corruption and incompetent municipalities. He says the government has failed the people of the country:

# Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela is hosting the Provincial Scholar Transport Stakeholder Engagement Meeting in Johannesburg today. She says the engagement will serve as a platform to advance key discussions on shared responsibilities on learners safety, compliance enforcement as well as addressing challenges faced by operators within the sector. The MEC says issues up for discussion includes, amongst others, traffic laws and regulations, licensing backlog, restructuring initiatives and operational challenges faced by operators.

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, of the South African government’s decision to withdraw its contribution of soldiers to the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says South Africa ranks amongst the top ten troop contributing countries to MONUSCO, with a force presence of over seven hundred soldiers deployed in the DRC in support of the Mission’s peacekeeping mandate:

# And Rugby: The Blitzboks secured a commanding 24–12 victory over Australia in the semi-final of the Sevens in Perth today. Shilton van Wyk opened the scoring, followed by a stunning 90-metre try by Sebastiaan Jobb to give South Africa a 14–5 halftime lead. Despite a fightback, the South Africans maintained control to book their place in the Cup final against Fiji. The Islanders earlier beat New Zealand with a dominant 35–0 victory.

Stay tuned for more news………….