News 11:00

BULLETIN 24 February 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party launches an urgent court bid to block Shamila Batohi’s pension payout
# The British Conservative leader says Mandelson’s arrest is a defining moment for prime minister Starmer
# And Paralympics: Ukrainian athletes are urged not to boycott the Winter Games’ opening ceremony

# The MK Party has filed an urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria to block the payment of former National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi’s pension and other post-term gratuities. The party also wants the court to reverse the decision to fund her legal costs at the Nkabinde inquiry, which is investigating South Gauteng NPA head Andrew Chauke’s fitness to hold office. In court papers, the MK Party raises concerns about Batohi’s conduct during the inquiry, claiming she knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath.

# Tax Justice South Africa warns Finance minister Enoch Godongwana against raising sin taxes in tomorrow’s budget without first addressing illicit trade. Leader Yusuf Abramjee says criminal syndicates now control 75-percent of cigarettes and 18-percent of alcohol, costing the state billions of rand annually. He warns excise hikes without stronger enforcement, border control, and prosecution will enrich criminals while harming taxpayers, urging Treasury to prioritise policing the illicit economy before increasing taxes:

# RISE Mzansi has welcomed the Gauteng state of the province address and the priorities set out. Premier Panyaza Lesufi delivered the address at the Nasrec Expo Centre last night, focusing mainly on the water crisis, frequent power cuts, the economy, infrastructure, and service delivery. RISE Mzansi’s Vuyiswa Ramokgopa says it is encouraging to see many of the party’s priorities reflected in Lesufi’s speech:

Moving abroad:

# UK Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, says the arrest of former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, is a defining moment of Keir Starmer’s premiership. Mandelson was arrested yesterday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released on bail pending further investigation. He allegedly leaked sensitive government information to the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein during his time as Business Secretary. Badenoch says it’s a matter of time before Starmer goes:

# Paralympics: The International Paralympic Committee has urged Ukrainian athletes not to boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Games. This comes after the committee permitted certain Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their flags and with their national anthems. The Czech Paralympic Committee will also boycott the opening ceremony in solidarity with Ukraine. IPC president Andrew Parsons expressed concern that sometimes these situations can be politicised. The Milano Cortina Paralympics are scheduled to run from 6 to 15 March in Italy.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-3-cents and the euro at 18-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-243-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-166-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….