News 16:00

BULLETIN 25 November 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Julius Malema stands firm on Jacob Zuma’s corruption, despite personal respect
# The Police minister reports a 5.1-percent drop in serious crimes in the second quarter
# And rugby: England’s captain is excited about how far the team can go

# EFF leader Julius Malema has reaffirmed his stance on the corruption of former president Jacob Zuma, despite maintaining personal respect for him. He emphasised that his criticism is based on principle, citing the Public Protector’s findings and the Constitutional Court ruling that Zuma must repay money related to the Nkandla scandal. Malema made it clear that while he maintains a respectful relationship with Zuma, he will not shy away from holding him accountable for his actions:

# Police minister Senzo Mchunu has announced a 5.1-percent decrease in serious crimes reported from July to September. He calls for specialised focus on gender-based violence and femicide, and stronger action against organised and economic crimes, including extortion and attacks on critical infrastructure. Mchunu notes that rape decreased by 3.1-percent, while robbery at residential premises and non-residential premises decreased by 1.3- and 21.1-percent, respectively:

# Human Rights Watch says Mozambican security forces killed at least 10 children and injured dozens more in post-election violence. The country has been rocked by unrest since the 9 October election won by the ruling Frelimo party in power since independence, but contested by the opposition. Thousands of people have demonstrated across the country in recent weeks in protests brutally suppressed by the police. The rights group says it had documented at least 36 other children injured by gunfire during the protests. The authorities have not responded to the claims.

# After spending more than 30 years behind bars for killing their parents, American brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez have a shot at being released from prison. The brothers will appear in court by video link today to discuss the next steps in their case, after the district attorney in Los Angeles agreed to re-examine the case. Members of the Menendez family have issued a public plea for the brothers to be released, alleging they endured horrific sexual abuse at the hands of their father and are not a threat to society.

# Rugby: England captain Jamie George says there are a lot of positives to take from this year. Steve Borthwick’s side ran in nine tries as they cruised to a 59-14 victory over Japan at Twickenham yesterday in their final match of the year. This victory has ensured that England avoided six straight losses. George says he is excited about how far the team can go when looking at the age and experience demographic:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-6-cents and the euro at 18-rand-93-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-180-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-682-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-51-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….