News 17:00

BULLETIN 13 October 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Sibiya testifies the political killings task team operated in secret, outside his authority
# Accused number one in the Meyiwa murder trial Muzi Sibiya takes the stand
# And rugby: The Bulls will face Connacht without the Boks Handré Pollard and Wilco Louw

# Suspended Crime Detection deputy national police commissioner, Shadrack Sibiya, says the political killings task team had a bizarre reporting structure, which limited his authority over the unit. He is the third witness to testify before Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, following explosive claims linking him to the unit’s disbandment. Sibiya says despite overseeing detectives and crime intelligence, he was unaware of some sensitive political killings’ investigations:

# Accused Muzi Sibiya has taken the stand as the first defence witness in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial at the High Court in Pretoria. Represented by Advocate Charles Mnisi, Sibiya denies involvement in the 2014 killing at Kelly Khumalo’s home. He testified that his alleged confession was coerced through police assault and threats, forcing him to sign a pre-written statement he was not allowed to read, which he says was fabricated:

# The High Court in Pietermaritzburg is hearing the state’s closing arguments in the reopened inquest into the 1967 death of ANC leader and Nobel Laureate, Albert Luthuli. The original inquest concluded he was struck by a goods train with no criminal culpability. The reopened proceedings which begun in April, examined new forensic and railway evidence, alongside testimony from family members detailing intensified security police harassment following Luthuli’s 1961 Nobel Peace Prize recognition. The closing arguments will conclude on Thursday.

# The UDM has welcomed growing recognition that South Africa must stop exporting raw minerals. Deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa says beneficiation is key for jobs, skills, and industrial growth, but warns it requires reliable electricity, modern rail, and strong infrastructure. The party calls for measurable beneficiation targets, incentives for local processing, community benefit-sharing, and an urgent national rail recovery plan. This is to restore bulk transport efficiency and unlock regional trade, ensuring minerals fuel a self-reliant, inclusive economy.

# Rugby: The Bulls will be without Springboks Handré Pollard and Wilco Louw in Friday’s United Rugby Championship match against Connacht in Galway, Ireland. Pollard returns home for the birth of his second child, while Louw will leave the squad as per the agreement with the national team. On top of that, fullback Devin Williams was injured during the loss to Ulster, while flyhalf Johan Goosen is still an injury doubt. The Bulls slipped from first to sixth place on the log when they lost 28-7 to Ulster.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-33-cents and the euro at 20-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-11-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-470-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-90-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….