News 11:00

BULLETIN 25 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Bheki Cele warns that the parole and bail system is a cancer to society
# South Africa deports 51-thousand people
# And ActionSA says no-confidence motions must be grounded in a credible governance alternative

# Former Police minister Bheki Cele has described the country’s parole and bail systems as a problem to society. Cele told Parliament’s ad hoc committee that this contributes to rising reoffending rates. Cele emphasised that many offenders released on parole return to crime, sometimes targeting their previous victims. He added that corruption within the bail process worsens the problem, urging stricter oversight of parolees and tougher implementation of existing laws:

# Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber says South Africa is stepping up deportations of undocumented migrants as the jobs crisis deepens. Speaking to Bloomberg the minister confirmed that 51-thousand people were deported in the last year, more than France and Germany combined. Schreiber argued that undocumented migrants compete with South Africans for scarce jobs in a country with one of the world’s highest unemployment rates. He stressed the country is managing the situation responsibly, in line with social cohesion.

# ActionSA in Gauteng has received and formally responded to a letter from the DA seeking its support for a proposed motion of no confidence in premier Panyaza Lesufi. The DA announced its plan to table a motion against Lesufi for his failed and costly Crime Prevention Wardens programme. ActionSA’s spokesperson, Zwelithini Mtshali, says motions of no confidence must be grounded in a credible governance alternative, not political theatre. He says a successful motion requires at least 41 votes in the 80-seat legislature:

# The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union says it stands in solidarity with the people of Cuba in their fight to lift, what it called the criminal economic and financial blockade against Cuba by the United States of America. NEHAWU’s spokesperson, Lwazi Nkolonzi, says next week the United Nations General Assembly will consider and vote for a resolution on ending the economic, commercial, and financial embargo imposed by the US against Cuba:

# Soccer: Sheffield Wednesday will be handed an immediate 12-point deduction from the English League after it filed for administration yesterday due to financial problems. The league earlier charged the club with multiple breaches of regulations for failing to pay its players’ salaries on time during five of the last seven months, leading to fans boycotting this week’s home game against Middlesbrough. Sky Sports reports Wednesday owes Britain’s tax agency over 23-million-rand in unpaid taxes.   

# And finally: The makers of the furniture lift used by the Louvre thieves published a tongue-in-cheek advert making the most of the product’s sudden fame. The day after thieves made off with some of France’s Crown Jewels, the firm posted a photograph showing the lift inside the police cordon at the museum with the tagline “when you need to move fast”. CEO Alexander Bocker told Sky News the lift had been completely misused for the robbery, but black humour took over, and they developed the concept. As of Friday, more than 40-thousand people liked the post on Instagram.

Stay tuned for more news………….