News 15:00

BULLETIN 1 October 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Julius Malema terms his guilty verdict as racist and vows to appeal
# The Afrika Mayibuye Movement calls for a transparent probe into the circumstances of Nathi Mthethwa’s death
# And rugby: Australia’s most-capped Test player, James Slipper, will retire after Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks

# EFF leader Julius Malema has condemned his guilty verdict in the firearm trial at the East London Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape, describing it as racist. Addressing supporters, Malema said the ruling was meant to appease AfriForum, the DA and the White House. He welcomed the acquittal of his former bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman. Malema has vowed to appeal the ruling to the Constitutional Court:

Meanwhile, AfriForum has welcomed the ruling. The case stems from Malema firing shots at the party’s 2018 birthday rally in Mdantsane. AfriForum, which laid the charges, says justice has prevailed despite delays. Spokesperson Jacques Broodryk says the verdict proves no one is untouchable, and calls it a major victory for accountability and the rule of law:

# The Afrika Mayibuye Movement has expressed concern about the circumstances surrounding the death of South Africa’s ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa. He was found dead at the Hyatt Hotel after being reported missing, with authorities suspecting suicide. The movement’s spokesperson, Sydney Baloyi, extended condolences to Mthethwa’s family, calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into his death:

# At the heart of a new trade deal between South Africa and the US should be a pact on critical minerals. This is according to Freedom Front Plus leader, Corné Mulder, C5 Capital founder and CEO, André Pienaar, and C5 Capital head of government relations, Chris Opperman. They are advocating that the focal point of this minerals pact could be a secure prosperity corridor centred in Saldanha Bay on the West Coast. They say the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal would enable the import of US gas, strengthening South Africa’s energy security.

# Rugby: Australian prop James Slipper will retire from international rugby following Saturday’s Rugby Championship finale against New Zealand in Perth. The 36-year-old, the Wallabies’ most experienced player, earned his 150th cap in last week’s 33-24 defeat to the All Blacks in Auckland. He was only the third player to reach this milestone after Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones and New Zealand’s Sam Whitelock. Slipper made his debut in Perth in 2010. He says representing the Wallabies for nearly 16 years has been the single proudest achievement of his career.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-19-cents and the euro at 20-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 116-thousand-400-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-884-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….