News 18:00
BULLETIN 21 November 6pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# President Ramaphosa accuses Israel of war crimes and genocide in Gaza
# Chinese president calls for international peace conference on Israel/Hamas
# And former Eskom CEO Koko’s corruption case struck off the roll
# President Cyril Ramaphosa has accused Israel of war crimes and genocide in Gaza. As chairperson of an extraordinary summit of the BRICS group of nations, the president said the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force is a war crime. He further described the deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to Gaza residents as tantamount to genocide. Ramaphosa calls on all nations to work together to realise a just, peaceful, and secure future for the people of both Palestine and Israel.
# Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an international peace conference to resolve the conflict between Israel and Hamas. He was addressing a virtual summit of fellow BRICS leaders. Xi says there can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine. He wants the early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative to build international consensus for peace.
# The Middelburg Magistrates Court has struck off the roll the case against former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko. Koko and his co-accused, including his wife and two stepdaughters, faced charges of fraud, corruption, and money laundering linked to contracts worth millions of rands for work at the Kusile Power Station. These contracts were allegedly awarded to companies associated with Koko’s friends and family. Outside the court, Koko asserted that the legal proceedings against him were a crime and an attempt to destroy his family:
# The DA has accused president Cyril Ramaphosa and Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan of failed leadership concerning the challenges faced by Transnet Port Terminals. DA national spokesperson for Public Enterprises, Mimmy Gondwe, says both leaders have neglected their constitutional obligations to safeguard the economy during the worst crisis in decades for trade and export ports. Gondwe calls for Ramaphosa and Gordhan to take the lead in engaging with stakeholders in the export sector and Transnet executives to address backlogs and work towards long-term solutions.
# Rugby: France’s 15-man captain, Antoine Dupont, will miss next year’s Six Nations in a bid to play sevens at the Paris Olympics. The scrumhalf, who also captains Toulouse, was named the Top 14 player of the season for the second time, but it’s not yet sure whether he will continue playing for the club while switching to sevens early next year. Eurosport reports Dupont’s absence from the Six Nations will be a blow for Test coach Fabian Galthié, who will now have to select a number nine and a captain.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-37-cents and the euro at 20-rand-13-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 36-thousand-601-dollars-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-7-dollars-15cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-94-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….