News 17:00

BULLETIN 18 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi is fired amid murder and corruption allegations
# The Public Service Commission criticises South Africa’s vetting process for public officials
# And: A school shooting in the Philippines kills three and injures eight

# The suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, has been fired. He had been suspended since November last year and is currently in custody after being denied bail in a murder case linked to the death of businessman Emmanuel Mbense. Mkhwenazi is also facing corruption, robbery and fraud-related charges in other matters. Meanwhile, his Killarney precious stones case has been postponed to October to allow the accused’s lawyers more time to study the police docket.

# Public Service Commission chairperson professor Somadoda Fikeni says vetting processes for public servants in South Africa are often not taken seriously and fall short of standards applied in other countries. Testifying before the Madlanga Commission, Fikeni questioned why officials can begin their appointments before completing vetting. He says delays can result in clearance only shortly before an official’s term ends, defeating the purpose of the process. He also criticised brief induction programmes:

# The South African Communist Party says it stands with the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ unity and the broader unity of the entire progressive trade union movement. This comes after COSATU’s 15th national congress collapsed earlier this week over a squabble over leadership and delegate credentials. SACP’s Alex Mashilo says it respects COSATU’s organisational independence and looks forward to the union federation resolving its internal challenges and constituting the congress formally when it reconvenes:

News from abroad

# Three people, including a 16-year-old student, have been killed and eight injured in a shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines. Two of those killed were 14-year-old students, while four of the injured are in critical condition. The attack happened at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, where classes have been suspended. Authorities say the teenager suspected of opening fire is also among the dead. It is the third deadly school shooting in the Philippines since June, prompting renewed concern about school safety.

# Tennis: American Brandon Nakashima will make his Laver Cup debut this year, replacing compatriot Ben Shelton, who has withdrawn from the event. The 25-year-old has had a strong season, which has seen him break into the world top 20 for the first time. Nakashima joins fellow Americans Taylor Fritz and Learner Tien, Australia’s Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, and Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo on captain Andre Agassi’s Team World. The Laver Cup will be played at the O2 in London next weekend.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-28-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-974-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-370-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….