News 11:00

BULLETIN 1 February 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An analyst criticises an Israeli diplomat’s disrespectful behaviour amid his exit from South Africa
# Judges Matter says Mbenenge must face the JSC to determine sanction
# And, tennis news from the Australian Open

# Political analyst Oscar Van Heerden has condemned Israel’s chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman disrespectful behaviour towards the South African government and disparaging remarks about president Cyril Ramaphosa. Van Heerden says government’s prompt action to declared Seidman persona non grata was warranted following repeated protocol breaches. This including failure to notify authorities of senior Israeli visits. He emphasised that the embassy ignored standard diplomatic procedures:

# Judges Matter’s Mbekezeli Benjamin says Eastern Cape High Court Judge President Selby Mbenenge now moves to the Judicial Service Commission, which will decide on sanctions. This comes as Mbenenge was cleared of sexual harassment but found guilty of failing to act honourably by initiating a workplace relationship with former court secretary Andiswa Mengo. He says Mbenenge may face possible penalties including fines, suspension, written warnings, or an apology:

# ActionSA has welcomed the arrest of a Mozambican national linked to the murder of Warrick ‘DJ Warras’ Stock, praising SAPS and Ekurhuleni Metro Police for the operation. Stock was gunned down outside the hijacked Zambezi building in the Johannesburg CBD on 16 December last year. The party says the killing highlights rampant crime in Johannesburg’s inner city. ActionSA is urging the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure the suspect faces the full might of the law. The party adds that the fight to reclaim the city from criminal elements is far from over and requires firm leadership and united communities.

# A federal judge on Saturday ordered the release of Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son, Liam Conejo Ramos, whom immigration officers detained during a Minnesota raid. In a ruling on Saturday US District Judge Fred Biery said the case is the result of an ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatising children. The Ecuadorean boy and his father, who entered the United States legally as asylum applicants, were sent to a family detention facility in Texas.

# Tennis: Fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan took revenge over world number one Aryna Sabalenka to win a nail-biting Australian Open final Saturday. The 26-year-old who was born in Moscow, can now add her Melbourne triumph to her Wimbledon win in 2022. Rybakina held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2 hours and 18 minutes. It was more disappointment in a major final for Sabalenka, who won the US Open last year for the second time but lost the French Open and Melbourne title deciders.

And in more tennis news, the South African Connor Doig and his Bulgarian partner Dimitar Kisimov have won the 2026 Australian Open junior doubles title. Doig and Kisimov proved too strong for the Australian wildcard pairing of Ymerali Ibraimi and Cooper Kose, winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.  Before the Australian Open, the pair had only played three times before, but they agree that their doubles partnership will continue. It is the first time that a South African junior has ever won a singles or doubles title at the Australian Open.

Stay tuned for more news………….