News 17:00

BULLETIN 23 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fannie Masemola sees the political killings task team’s disbandment as an attempt to halt criminal cartel investigations
# Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale confirms over 55-thousand inmates are on parole amid a supervision shortage
# And Rugby: Rassie Erasmus opts for consistency with Etzebeth and Willemse in the starting-15

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola says the disbandment of the political killings task team was an attempt to stop investigations into criminal cartels. Masemola told the Madlanga commission in Pretoria that Police minister Senzo Mchunu’s decision was irrational and politically motivated. He linked it to last year’s raid on businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s home and the uncovering of corruption in a 360-million-rand health contract his company had with the police:

# Correctional Services National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale says more than 55-thousand inmates are on parole. Addressing the National Summit on the Review of the Parole System in Pretoria, Thobakgale says the system faces pressure due to the shortage of officers to monitor them effectively. Thobakgale told SABC News that capacity challenges threaten compliance and public safety. He added that stronger parole supervision is vital to balancing rehabilitation, reintegration, and national security:

# The South African National Energy Development Institute says government may use the Expropriation Act to acquire land for its transmission network expansion. Energy secretariat head Sampson Mamphweli told the Energy Indaba in Pretoria that negotiations with landowners often lead to inflated costs, delaying projects. He says the Act allows expropriation when negotiations fail, ensuring expansion of 14-thousand-kilometres of new lines needed for renewable energy integration and South Africa’s just energy transition.

# Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, accusing it of serving as a tool of neocolonial repression. The military-led nations, already split from the Economic Community of West African States and aligned under the Alliance of Sahel States, are also strengthening ties with Russia. The move comes as the three countries battle Islamist insurgencies amid allegations of atrocity crimes. The ICC has investigated Mali since 2013 over alleged war crimes in its northern regions.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus opted for consistency in selection for their Rugby Championship match against Argentina at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday. In the starting team Eben Etzebeth and Damian Willemse take over from the injured Lood de Jager and Aphelele Fassi. Damian de Allende returns at inside centre alongside Canan Moodie in an exciting midfield combination. Prop Boan Venter is included on the bench, Jan-Hendrik Wessels will be the replacement hooker, while scrumhalf Morné van den Berg takes over from Grant Williams, who is nursing a niggle.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-26-cents and the euro at 20-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-970-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-784-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-74-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….