News 17:00

BULLETIN 6 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The court dismisses the Crime Intelligence boss’s bid to return to work
# AfriForum calls for the devolution of policing powers after Madlanga revelations
# And, Biovac opens a new vaccine lab in Cape Town to boost Africa’s manufacturing capacity

# The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court has dismissed a Section 63 application by Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo and two co-accused to amend bail conditions and return to work. Khumalo, Precious Madondo, and Josias Lekalakala, remain barred from duty. Khumalo and six co-accused were arrested in June on fraud and corruption charges over the appointment of Dineo Mokwele, to a senior executive position with no qualifications. Mokwele faces charges of falsifying her resume. The corruption case has been postponed to 13 February 2026.

# AfriForum has renewed its call for the devolution of policing powers following shocking revelations at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. The organisation says the inquiry exposed deep corruption, political interference, and criminal infiltration within police structures. Spokesperson Jacques Broodryk says the centralised policing model is failing citizens, arguing that decentralising powers to provincial or regional levels would improve accountability, transparency, and community trust in law enforcement:

# South African biopharmaceutical firm Biovac opened a state-of-the-art product development laboratory in Cape Town, backed by the Gates Foundation, to help the continent develop its own vaccines and improve preparedness for future health challenges. Biovac supplies vaccines for South Africa’s childhood immunisation programme. It was initially established to distribute imported vaccines in partnership with the National Health Department. Iater expanded to the final stages of manufacturing where the product is processed and put into vials, through collaborations with global pharmaceutical firms.

# Rugby: Saturday night’s Test between the Springboks and France in Paris will see milestones for captain Siya Kolisi and head coach Rassie Erasmus. Kolisi will lead South Africa in his 100th Test, becoming the ninth South African centurion, while Erasmus will be in control for the 50th time. The squad sees six changes to the one that beat Japan 61-7 last weekend. Fullback Damian Willemse returns from injury. Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse will be the wingers, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach the half-back pairing.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-34-cents and the euro at 19-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-108-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-14-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the City of Cape Town has signed a formal Memorandum of Agreement joining 17 others working with the Institute for Global Homelessness, to reduce the number of people sleeping on the streets. The Institute of Global Homelessness launched the first Vanguard Cities cohort in 2017.  Mayoral committee member for Community Service and Health, Francine Higham, says the aim is to support and uplift local expertise and innovation in addressing homelessness, while fostering the benefits of both community and global exchange:

Stay tuned for more news………….