It’s Friday, 29 May, and this is News Bite with Marcelle Gordon.
The Madlanga Commission’s second interim report is expected to focus on major failings in the fight against drug cartels and the illicit movement of narcotics. The commission has heard key testimony on the theft of 541 kilograms of cocaine from the Hawks’ offices in Port Shepstone and due-process failures during major drug busts in Gauteng. The commission is expected to hand over its final comprehensive report at the end of August, while the SAPS Ad Hoc Committee has received its Evidentiary Report with topline findings presented by evidence leader Advocate Norman Arendse.
Also today, tougher times lie ahead for consumers after the Reserve Bank increased interest rates for the first time in three years. Governor Lesetja Kganyago announced a 25 basis point hike, with South Africa’s central bank among the few opting for an increase. The decision comes as fuel prices soar because of the war in the Gulf, municipal hikes are rolled out, and the bank warns of a possible food shock as farmers face higher input costs and the growing impact of El Niño weather patterns. Economist Xhanti Payi says the Reserve Bank was in a tough position.
In the Western Cape, Kraaifontein community leaders are demanding arrests after a riot involving about 700 school pupils targeting foreign-owned businesses. Some leaders claim people posing as March and March leaders incited high school pupils to go on a rampage. Calm has returned to Kraaifontein, but there are concerns that criminal elements and groups pushing for the eviction of foreign businesses may have fuelled the unrest. This comes as 300 Ghanaian nationals took a repatriation flight to Accra after saying they no longer felt welcome in South Africa amid anti-illegal migration protests and intimidation affecting even those in the country legally.
The World Health Organization is warning it is running out of resources to fight the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda, after receiving only a third of the funding requested. Uganda has closed land and water borders with the DRC, while Canada, the Bahamas and Bahrain have placed entry bans on travellers from the DRC. WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus says travel bans are not necessarily the best way forward.
We’re also watching a deadly Kenya girls’ boarding school fire, where at least 16 students are dead and 79 are injured after flames ripped through Utumishi Girls School overnight. The tragedy has renewed concerns about school safety in Kenya, overcrowded dormitories and limited firefighting resources. In Johannesburg, Rand Water maintenance is expected to cause water-supply problems for the next five days, with areas including Sandton, Midrand, Soweto and Randburg facing low pressure to no water.
SPORT
Bafana Bafana face Nicaragua at Orlando Stadium on Friday night in their last home match before leaving for Mexico and the FIFA World Cup. Arsenal face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday, hoping to go one better after their 2006 final defeat to Barcelona. The Lions face a tough URC quarter-final against Leinster in Dublin, and in tennis, world number one Jannik Sinner crashed out of the French Open, with Juan Manuel Cerundolo producing a major five-set shock.
And finally, Donald Trump’s face on a $250 banknote may be ready in mock-up form, but US law blocking living people from appearing on currency has the presses on pause. Even money said: let’s check the constitution first.
That’s your News Bite for 29 May.
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