News 16:00

BULLETIN 23 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The political killings task team exposed crime syndicates protected by senior police officers
# Siviwe Gwarube acts to protect learners amid abuse and disruptions
# And Cricket: The beloved umpire Dickie Bird dies at the age of 92

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola says the political killings task team uncovered powerful crime syndicates shielded by senior police officers. Masemola told the Madlanga commission in Pretoria that the unit’s investigations revealed how organised networks were operating with the protection of high-ranking officials within law enforcement. He says the findings exposed deep corruption in political murders and showed the task team’s key role in uncovering masterminds behind targeted killings:

# Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube has taken urgent steps to safeguard learners following reports of sexual abuse in Eastern Cape schools and disruptions by the Dudula movement. At St John’s College, seven educators accused of abuse have been suspended, while JS Skenjana Senior Secondary faces a fresh probe. Gwarube’s spokesperson Terence Khala stressed schools must report sexual offences and vowed that abusers or disruptors of education will be prosecuted:

# Parliament’s Select Committee on Economic Development and Trade chairperson, Sonja Boshoff has called for a National Crisis Summit to tackle South Africa’s growing wave of job losses. Boshoff says the summit should unite government, business, and labour to find urgent solutions, including relief on electricity and freight costs, stronger localisation, and trade remedies. She warns that mass retrenchments, especially in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Free State, threaten livelihoods and the country’s industrial future.

# The United Nations says Russian authorities have subjected civilian detainees in Ukrainian areas it occupies to torture, including sexual violence. In a fresh report, the UN rights office concluded that Russia has subjected Ukrainian civilian detainees to consistent patterns of serious violations of international law. The report said UN investigators had interviewed 216 civilians released from detention in the occupied territories since June 2023. A full 92-percent of them gave consistent and detailed accounts of having been subjected to torture or ill-treatment during their captivity.

# Cricket: Former Test umpire Harold “Dickie” Bird has died at the age of 92. Bird was one of the best-known and most respected officials in the game, standing in 66 Tests and 69 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals. Yorkshire issued a statement on their website saying Bird, “one of cricket’s most beloved figures”, had died peacefully at home. Bird played for English counties Yorkshire and Leicestershire but made his name as an international umpire.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-30-cents and the euro at 20-rand-40-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-39-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-996-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-781-dollars-45-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….