Breakfast Edition: 10 December 2015
WATCH & LISTEN: Here's a recap of this morning's top news stories.
PRESIDENT ZUMA FIRES FINANCE MINISTER: President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday removed Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene from his post, after the rand tumbled to a record low in the wake of the latest downgrade of the country's credit rating. "I have decided to remove Mr Nhlanhla Nene as Minister of Finance, ahead of his deployment to another strategic position, the president said in a statement on Wednesday evening. Zuma said Nene - South Africa's first black finance minister - would be replaced by African National Congress backbencher David van Rooyen, the whip of Parliament's standing committee on finance, who also serves as whip of the economic transformation cluster.
ANC SAYS GIVE VAN ROOYEN A CHANCE: Van Rooyen has been described as a back bencher and relatively "unknown" choice for such a key cabinet position. However, the ANC's Ziz Kodwa says it's the president's prerogative to appoint and too early to judge.
FLABBA'S NAME CLEARED: The mother of slain rapper, Nkululeko Flabba Habedi is satisfied that her son's name has been cleared. Yesterday the high court sitting in Randburg found Sindisiwe Manqele guilty of murder, after she stabbed Habedi in the heart. As Silindelo Masikane reports, acting judge Solly Sithole rejected her defence that it was in self-defence. Manquele will be back in the High Court sitting in Randburg, for a bail application.
TRAFFIC ON THE INCREASE: It's officially the December holidays which brings with it special attention to road safety. The Road Traffic Management CEO, Makhosini Msibi announced that 21-thousand law enforcers will be deployed on the roads to increase officer visibility, mobile testing facilities, and faster results for blood tests. He also announced that motorists would be forced to take regular breaks, as fatigue has been proven to be one of the major contributing factors to road crashes and fatalities.
HOLLYWOOD TACKLES GUN VIOLENCE: And a list of A-list celebrities have joined forces in an online campaign, against gun violence in the US. From Julianne Moore, Jennifer Aniston, Sofia Vergara to Kevin Bacon and many more are all speaking out.
NOMINATIONS FOR SAG AWARDS ANNOUNCED: The Screen Actors Guild announced the annual list of nominees for next year's SAG Awards, with Leonardo DiCaprio that's going head-to-head with Eddie Redmayne and Johnny Depp in the Best Actor category. Click here to see the FULL LIST OF NOMINEES.
