News 18:00

BULLETIN 21 october 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu refuses to comment on the status of the Political Killings Task Team
# A smooth start to the Gauteng matric exams despite minor hiccups
# And cricket: Australia stresses over the fitness of captain Alyssa Healy for the rest of the World Cup

# Suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu told Parliament he will not comment on the current status of the political killings task team as he is no longer in office. He said directives he issued in December 2024 remain under discussion and the team continues to operate. Mchunu clarified these directives relate to policing needs, not policy, and emphasised that operational restructuring, including the team, was adopted previously and continues under a phased approach:

Meanwhile, Witness A says Hawks officers tried to interfere during the arrest of Katiso “KT” Molefe at his Sandhurst home in Johannesburg in December last year. Testifying at the Madlanga commission remotely, he said a police helicopter hovered over the house for ten minutes, not to help, but to stop the operation. Witness A added that officers, led by a captain Kruger and claiming to have instructions from Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya, demanded details of the arrest, which he refused to provide:

# Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane says the matric exams began smoothly across all districts, with no major disruptions. Over 16-thousand-900 candidates sat for the Computer Applications Technology Paper-one. Four centres reported minor power or technical issues, however, swift interventions were implemented including generator and solar backups that ensured exams continued without delay. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says all learners wrote under fair, conducive conditions:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Finance minister Enoch Godongwana as acting president from today till Sunday. This follows Ramaphosa’s international itinerary, which includes visits to Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, where he will also attend an ASEAN summit. Deputy president Paul Mashatile is on leave during this period. The trips aim to boost trade, investment, and diplomatic ties ahead of Ramaphosa chairing the G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg next month. From 29 to 30 October, Ramaphosa will also undertake a state visit to Switzerland.

# Cricket: Australia’s captain, Alyssa Healy, had to withdraw from tomorrow’s World Cup group match against England through injury. She reportedly sustained a minor strain during training and it’s not yet sure whether she will be fit for the rest of the tournament. Australia and England currently top the log and have both already qualified for the semifinals, but South Africa will overtake both if they beat Pakistan today. The Proteas and Australia face off on Saturday, while England’s last group match is against New Zealand on Sunday.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-40-cents and the euro at 20-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 110-thousand-103-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-165-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….