News 15:00

BULLETIN 16th October 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Presidency’s attorney emphasises accountability in reclaiming Zuma’s R28-million legal fees
# The Israeli forum calls on government to halt further stages of the peace deal as all hostages have not been returned
# And motorsport: Brad Binder is hopeful of turning his worst season around

# The Presidency and the state have called for accountability in a bid to recover approximately 28-million-rand in legal fees paid to former president Jacob Zuma in his personal capacity. The High Court in Pretoria heard that earlier rulings invalidated the state’s decision to cover these costs, directing recovery efforts. Zuma failed to repay the funds, arguing he cannot afford to. The Presidency’s counsel, George Avvakoumides, emphasised additional interest in reclaiming public funds:

# Police minister Senzo Mchunu has told Parliament’s ad hoc committee he only learned about the details of the political killings task team after assuming office last year. He was testifying before the committee probing corruption in the criminal justice system. Mchunu says he became aware of the task team’s structure and history towards the end of last year. He also accuses national police commissioner Fannie Masemola of withholding information about the task team:

Meanwhile, DA Member of Parliament Glynnis Breytenbach has confirmed that party member Dianne Kohler Barnard will rejoin the committee which probes the claims by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who accused her of mishandling classified intelligence information. The DA achieved a legal opinion by advocate Michael Bishop from the Cape Town Bar, who found no evidence of bias or conflict of interest. Breytenbach adds that Kohler Barnard will recuse herself when matters directly involving her arise:

Moving abroad:

# The Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government to immediately halt the implementation of any further stages of the peace agreement as long as Hamas continues to violate its obligations regarding the return of all hostages and the remains of the victims. According to the framework, outlined by US president Donald Trump, the next phases of the truce include offering amnesty to Hamas leaders who decommission their weapons and establishing the governance of post-war Gaza.

# Motorsport: South Africa’s Brad Binder, who is enduring his worst season in MotoGP since his rookie campaign in 2020, is determined to finish the season strong. With four rounds remaining, the Red Bull KTM rider sits in 11th place in the championship with just 118 points. He fought from 15th on the grid to finish fourth, only one second off the Indonesian Grand Prix podium two weeks ago. Binder says he is confident he can turn things around:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-31-cents and the euro at 20-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-24-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-363-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-243-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….