News 18:00

BULLETIN 22 October 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Witness B reveals a ballistics entry was deleted on the day of Katiso “KT” Molefe’s arrest
# The High Court in Pretoria orders Jacob Zuma to repay 28.9-million-rand in legal fees
# And rugby: Makazole Mapimpi’s five-match ban rules him out of the Boks’ November tour

# Witness B told the Madlanga commission that a key entry in the ballistics database, linking guns used in engineer Armand Swart’s murder to other crimes, was deleted on 6 December last year. This deletion happened on the same day businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe was arrested. B says this may have been deliberate, amid tensions over lab access and a false kidnapping accusation of a ballistics expert, who later helped retrieve the missing data:

# The High Court in Pretoria has ordered former president Jacob Zuma to repay over 28.9-million-rand in legal fees unlawfully funded by the state for his personal corruption defence. Judge Anthony Millar ruled that he must also pay the state attorney interest. If the amount is not settled within 60 days, Zuma’s assets may be attached and sold, including his presidential pension. The state attorney must report quarterly on recovery progress. Zuma remains liable for legal costs.

# The South African public has 30 days to comment on the DA’s proposed Public Procurement Amendment Bill, aimed at repealing the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act. The DA seeks to replace race-based requirements with an outcome-focused approach to promote efficiency and broader economic inclusion. Party officials argue the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act has enriched a few while leaving millions in poverty. The bill has drawn criticism from the ANC and the GOOD Party, who warn it could undermine efforts to address economic inequality.

# Solidarity is calling on the Department of Basic Education to review the current national norms and standards for school funding, saying the existing quintile classification often does not reflect actual socio-economic circumstances. A report by the Solidarity Research Institute shows the funding allocation per learner for quintile 5 schools in Gauteng has dropped from around 900- to 315-rand. Solidarity’s Johnell Prinsloo says this decrease of 65-percent is estimated to affect more than 750 schools:

# Rugby: Wing Makazole Mapimpi will miss the Springboks’ end of year tour after receiving a five-match ban for foul play during the Sharks’ United Rugby Championship match against Ulster in Durban. He was on coach Rassie Erasmus’ standby list for the Northern Hemisphere tour of five matches, starting against Japan in London next Saturday. The disciplinary committee originally banned Mapimpi for six weeks, but it was reduced to five after he acknowledged and accepted the punishment for a tip-tackle. This was his second red card this year.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-38-cents and the euro at 20-rand-16-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-208-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-53-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….