Daily news update: Black Friday 2020 has early start, no money for young doctors, Mkhwebane’s ‘reckless attempt to nail the president’

Your morning news update: Click on the links below for the full story or visit our home page for the latest news:

Black Friday 2020 gets off to an early start

Picture: iStock

Black Friday got off to a particularly early start in 2020 with a number of big retailers rolling out specials over days and in some instances even the course of a week.

The annual sale bonanza traditionally occurs on the last Friday of November and kicks of the Christmas buying season.

Consumers have been advised to shop smartly though, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 economic crunch.

Even the Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) has called on all traders and consumers of alcohol to act responsibly in the wake of the Black Friday sale this week.

Mboweni’s bitter pill for graduate doctors

Tired, stressed doctor. Picture: YouTube

As Finance Minister Tito Mboweni happily dishes out hundreds of millions of rands to keep poorly managed and corrupt state-owned enterprises in the green – the latest being R10 billion for SA Airways (SAA) – government has been accused of scuppering its intervention to improve access to health care.

There have been reports of more than 150 graduate doctors in limbo due to the health department’s alleged lack of funding for community service placement.

Public health specialist Dr Shakira Choonara said lack of doctor placement has been a recurring issue. She said these much-needed graduates were at the mercy of high levels of bureaucracy.

ConCourt hears of Mkhwebane’s ‘reckless attempt to nail the president’

Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane during a press briefing at the Public Protectors House, 12 December 2019, Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles

Advocate Wim Trengove for President Cyril Ramaphosa says Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane made “errors so obvious and so patent that no lawyer acting in good faith could have made” in her finding that Ramaphosa had misled parliament on the funding for his ANC presidential campaign of 2017.

The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) was on Thursday hearing an application by Mkhwebane for it to review a high court ruling that set aside her report and ordered her to pay a punitive costs order.

Trengove said it was an “utterly spurious” finding by Mkhwebane that there was prima facie evidence or suspicion of money laundering in the flow of money for funding the campaign.

ANC PEC reverses decision to reinstate Mpumalanga rape-accused leader

African National Congress (ANC) flag. Picture: Gallo Images / Thapelo Maphakela

The ANC Mpumalanga has reversed its decision to reinstate a provincial leader accused of raping two eight-year-olds.

The provincial executive committee met following public pressure.

The man, 48, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the two alleged minor victims, was charged together with his stepson, 26.

ATM’s no-confidence motion in Ramaphosa to be voted on next week by open ballot

National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise. File Photo: Phando/Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA)

The African Transformation Movement’s (ATM) motion of no confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa will be voted on by open ballot next week, Speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise decided.

On Thursday morning, at a meeting of the National Assembly Programming Committee, the secretary to parliament, Masibulele Xaso, said Modise had approved the ATM’s motion of no confidence in the president – and she suggested that it be placed on the National Assembly’s programme for next Thursday’s plenary.

Modise declined the ATM’s request to have the motion voted on by way of a secret ballot.

Moody’s also downgrades municipalities, SANRAL and Ekurhuleni Water Care Company

Moody’s expect the cost of serving the country’s debt to continue rising and growth to be slow.

The long term ratings of all rated municipalities were downgraded by one notch to reflect the deterioration in the operating environment, except Mangaung and its long term issuer rating was affirmed at Caa1.

The Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) of all rated South African municipalities was downgraded one notch, except for Mangaung which was affirmed at caa2.

Moody’s also maintained the negative outlooks on all rated municipalities in the country.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.