News 14:00

BULLETIN 2 October 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Naledi Pandor criticises Julius Malema for claiming that she received a loan from VBS Mutual Bank
# The DA in Gauteng heads to court over Johannesburg’s VIP Protection Policy
# And tennis: Aryna Sabalenka wins her 15th match in a row to reach the quarterfinals in Beijing

# Former minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, says EFF leader Julius Malema lied when he claimed that she received a loan from VBS Mutual Bank. Malema claimed this in an interview with the SABC last month. The former minister demanded that Malema retract the false statement and issue a public apology. Pandor says through her attorney Malema says he understands that his remarks may have been perceived as harsh, but they were intended to contribute to the public conversation around the VBS scandal.

# The DA in Gauteng has approached the courts as it wants the City of Johannesburg’s VIP Protection Policy and subsequent decision made in council to approve it declared irrational, unlawful and unconstitutional. The policy allows for each of the 270 councillors and other committee members access to two VIP security guards without needing an SA Police Service risk assessment. The DA’s Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku says the metro has not followed due process:

# The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee has approved a public participation process for the release of portions of Mowbray Golf Course for mixed-use development. The golf course is north of the N2 freeway, offering prime access to key employment hubs, amenities, and residential areas. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the identified portions of land, totalling approximately 42.8 hectares, have a market value of 171-million-rand:

# The Israeli Army has called for the evacuation of additional villages in southern Lebanon, a day after a similar evacuation call after the military announced the launch of ground operations. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee in a post on social media called on residents to evacuate over 20 new villages and towns in southern Lebanon. Lebanese official media says an Israeli strike today targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, after a night of repeated strikes on the area, where Hezbollah holds sway.

# Tennis: World number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won her 15th match in a row to reach the quarterfinals of the China Open. The top seed easily got rid of American Madison Keys and will next face Czech player Karolina Muchova for a place in the penultimate round. The US Open champion will take a major step towards overtaking Iga Świątek of Poland at the top of the rankings if she wins the tournament.  Świątek isn’t playing in Beijing.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-245-dollars-37-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-652-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….