News 13:00

BULLETIN 30 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa extradites a Chinese national accused of defrauding his government
# Zuma and Mbeki’s applications to have Justice Khampepe recused from the TRC hearings are dismissed
# And cricket: Molineux succeeds Healy as captain of Australia’s women’s team

# A Chinese man accused of defrauding his government of 120-million-rand had been handed to a Chinese delegation in South Africa. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says 63-year-old Fujia Chen is being extradited to face trial for fraud through an unregistered foreign currency exchange business. He fled to South Africa in 2021 and was arrested while applying for a US visa. Mathe adds an extradition order was granted on 20 January:

# Retired Justice Sisi Khampepe has dismissed former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki’s applications for her recusal from chairing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases inquiry. The applications cited alleged conflicts of interest linked to Khampepe’s previous roles within the TRC and the National Prosecuting Authority. In her ruling, she said Zuma and Mbeki had failed to establish any reasonable apprehension of bias, and unreasonably delayed bringing their recusal applications. The ruling means the former presidents will have to testify before the commission.

# The City of Tshwane has submitted an application to National Treasury to blacklist controversial businessman Edwin Sodi and his affiliated businesses. In 2019, Sodi’s companies secured a 290-million-rand tender to upgrade the Rooiwal wastewater treatment works. The project was discontinued due to the contractors’ poor performance, despite already being paid the full amount. Spokesperson Zintle Mahlati says the delay in the application was to ensure the process was handled correctly:

# Union federation Saftu says the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee’s monetary policy framework remains detached from the realities of the working class and the unemployed. The committee has kept the repo rate at 6.75-percent, while the prime lending rate remains at 10.25-percent. Saftu’s spokesperson, Asive Dyani, says equally troubling is the committee’s continued reliance on interest rates as the primary instrument of economic management:

# Cricket: Allrounder Sophie Molineux will take over as captain of Australia’s women’s team when Alyssa Healy retires. Twenty-eight-year-old Molineux will lead the team in next month’s T20 home series against India, and will become captain of all three formats from the Test and one-day tour of the Caribbean in March. She made her debut for Australia in 2018 and played three Tests, 11 ODIs and 38 T20s since. Molineux also plays for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, and for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-98-cents and the euro at 19-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-298-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-41-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….