News 16:00

BULLETIN 26 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Elaine Harrison warns the Madlanga commission that scrapping the political killings task team risks election stability
# The DA announces Mohammed Haniff Hoosen as the eThekwini mayoral candidate
# And Rugby: The URC is back as the Stormers face the defending champions Leinster in Cape Town

# KwaZulu-Natal Director of Public Prosecutions, Elaine Harrison says the collapse of the political killings task team poses a serious risk of destabilisation beyond the province. Testifying before the Madlanga commission in Pretoria, Harrison described the unit as essential in curbing politically motivated crimes, which escalate during elections. She warned that without the task team, political violence could spiral into other provinces, threatening national stability ahead of the local government elections next year:

# DA leader John Steenhuisen has announced Mohammed Haniff Hoosen as the party’s mayoral candidate for eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Steenhuisen told party members that Durban needs working services, functioning railways, a stronger economy, and job creation. Steenhuisen said the city’s decay can be reversed with leadership that restores dignity, fixes water and sewerage systems, and tackles crime. He described Hoosen as an experienced leader with the courage to rebuild eThekwini:

# AfriForum has criticised the EFF’s motion to change the name of the Kruger National Park, describing it as cheap politics. The motion was tabled in the Mpumalanga Legislature. The EFF says it aims to replace names associated with colonial and apartheid-era figures with those honouring individuals who played a significant role in South Africa’s liberation and post-apartheid development. AfriForum’s Marais de Vaal says renaming the park would have unnecessarily costly rebranding implications:

# The Slovak parliament approved a constitutional amendment to limit the rights of same-sex couples and toughen rules surrounding gender transition. The amendment also sees national law take precedence over European Union law. Since his return to power in 2023, nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico has often been at odds with the 27-nation bloc. He has faced a series of protests in the EU over his curbing of rights. The parliament approved the amendment with 90 votes in favour and seven votes against it, enough to pass it in the 150-seat parliament.

# Rugby: The United Rugby Championship returns today for its fifth edition. The Stormers and Bulls kick off their campaigns at home in Cape Town and Pretoria, while the Sharks are in Scotland, and the Lions start their season in Wales. At 7pm tonight the Stormers face defending champions, Leinster, while the Sharks face Glasgow Warriors at 9.05pm. In Saturday’s matches the Bulls kick off at 2pm against the Ospreys and the Lions face Cardiff at 8.45pm.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-42-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-402-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-752-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….