News 13:00

BULLETIN 31 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Shamila Batohi defends the pace of corruption prosecutions
# The South African Jewish Board slams the decision to expel a diplomat
# And the EFF ends its cooperation with the ANC in local government

# Outgoing National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi says public frustration over slow corruption cases is justified, but complex prosecutions worldwide take years to complete. Batohi says prosecutors must ensure due process is followed in the prosecution of these cases. She called for proper system implementation in the criminal justice chain and cautioned that the next NDPP, Andy Mothibi, will face similar challenges if reforms aren’t made:

# The South African Jewish Board of Deputies has condemned the government’s decision to expel Israeli diplomat Ariel Seidman with 72 hours’ notice, calling it insensitive and contradictory. Seidman is accused of breaching diplomatic norms by criticising President Cyril Ramaphosa online and inviting Israeli officials without approval. The board’s Karen Milner said issuing the notice ahead of the Jewish Sabbath is drastic, unfair, and shows religious insensitivity.

# Gauteng’s Serious and Violent Crime Investigation Unit has arrested a second suspect linked to the murder of media personality Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock. He was gunned down outside the hijacked Zambezi Building in Johannesburg’s CBD on Reconciliation Day. The Mozambican national was arrested last night in Marathon Informal Settlement in Primrose, Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. He will appear in court on Monday, facing murder and immigration charges. Police say he was already on their radar, with two more suspects still at large.

# EFF leader Julius Malema says the party is ready to lead major metros and will no longer support the ANC in local government. Addressing the National People’s Assembly, Malema ordered an immediate end to cooperation, urging mayoral committee members to mobilise on the ground. He accused the ANC of disrespect and confirmed withdrawal of support for ANC mayors, and said the EFF will now field its own mayoral candidates across municipalities:

# The United Nations is at risk of imminent financial collapse due to member states not paying their fees. Secretary general António Guterres said the UN faced a financial crisis that was deepening and threatening programme delivery, and warned money could run out by July. It comes after the UN’s largest contributor, the US, refused to contribute to its regular and peacekeeping budgets, with several other members in arrears or refusing to pay. In an almost desperate attempt to save cash, the escalators at the Geneva headquarters are regularly turned off, and the heating turned down.

# And finally: The South African poet, author, and cultural icon Diana Ferrus has died at the age of 72.  Ferrus, widely revered as the “people’s poet”, was internationally acclaimed for her role in restoring dignity to historically silenced voices. Her most famous work, titled I’ve Come to Take You Home was written in honour of Sarah Baartman and became a defining moment in South Africa’s post-apartheid cultural history. The poem was read aloud in the French Senate in 2002, an act that directly influenced the Senate’s decision to repatriate Baartman’s remains from France to South Africa.

Stay tuned for more news………….