News 11:00

NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 16 November 11 am

Good morning. I am…….

In this bulletin:

# The Institute for Security Studies says a new approach is needed to tackle SA’s murder rate
# The EFF in Gauteng wants accountability for the corruption-ridden Sondela Village Project
# And in rugby, Sharks duo Mbonambi and Kock ruled out for months due to injury

# As the murder rate rises in South Africa, the police’s ability to solve and convict perpetrators has plummeted, and only one in ten murder cases results in a successful prosecution. This is according to a new report by the Institute for Security Studies, which shows that murders climbed by 77-percent between 2011/2012 to last year. KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape accounted for 83-percent of murders recorded. The ISS’s Gareth Newham says rather than high-visibility policing operations that have failed to reduce crime for over a decade, a different strategic approach is required.

# The public has less than 30 days to comment on the South African National Petroleum Company Draft Bill proposed by Energy minister Gwede Mantashe. The bill aims to establish the company, ensuring proper governance, consolidating, and transferring assets in line with relevant legislation. The company is envisioned as the state’s facilitator of energy infrastructure across the value chain, managing exploration and production rights, and ensuring sustainable development of petroleum resources. The bill outlines aspects like cooperative governance, board functions, and funding for effective company operation.

# The EFF in Gauteng says it notes with concern the damning reports about the corruption taking place within the Gauteng social housing project, Sondela Village, in Springs, Ekurhuleni. It is alleged that the ANC provincial government knowingly awarded a 71-million-rand social housing project to Let’s Care South Africa, a company that was already facing liquidation for bad debt and financial mismanagement. The Social Housing Regulatory Authority has put the project on hold. The EFF’s Dumisani Baleni, says they demand accountability:

Play sound: ENG BaleniOnHousingProject

# US president Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to resume military-to-military communications in an effort to ease rising tensions. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative conference in California. Biden says the restoration of military-to-military contacts was critically important in reducing accidents and dangerous miscalculation. He says the two economic and military superpowers, the US and China, had to make sure that the rivalry between them does not veer into conflict:

Play sound: ENG BidenOnProgress

# Rugby: The Sharks are set to be without front row duo Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch for extended period due to knee injuries. Mbonambi was forced to leave the field early in the World Cup final victory over New Zealand in Paris last month, after sustaining a knee injury. Kock missed the World Cup final due to a knee injury. Sharks coach John Plumtree says Mbonambi could be sidelined for six months, while Koch will be out of action for up to three months.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-23-cents and the euro at 19-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-58-cents and Bitcoin trades at 37-thousand-520-dollars-6-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-966-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….