Breakfast Edition: 22 July 2015
NKANDLA VISIT: Parliament's ad hoc committee on Nkandla will inspect the security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma's home when they visit the compound today. The upgrades, which cost more than R240 million, has been a political bone of contention since the first reports emerged in 2009. In May, Police Minister Nathi Nhleko released a report that found - in direct contradiction to the earlier report of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela - that all features added to the homestead served a security purpose and that the President therefore did not have to repay the State for any part of the R246 million project. As Olivia Phalaetsile reports, it has also been the subject of various investigations, all of which had wildly different outcomes.
OUTRAGE FROM SANEF: The SA National Editors Forum has written a letter to the chairman of the committee, Cerick Frolick, after the media were denied access to today's site visit. The committee earlier said the media had no legal grounds to demand access to Nkandla. SANEF's Raymond Louw.
NCOP'S OVERSIGHT VISIT: The National Council of Provinces are also out and about on oversight visits as part of NCOP week. They met with Gauteng Premier, David Makhura yesterday and Finance MEC Barbara Creecy did a presentation. She explained that by the end of March this year, provincial municipalities had billed R3.6 billion - that's 70% of the province's adjusted budget. Creecy says this is on track for the year, but municipalities have to be supported to optimise their revenue collection.
HOME AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION: The Hawks believe that Home Affairs officials were involved in an illegal immigration office, they uprooted in Bruma in Jo'burg yesterday. One person was arrested and the Hawks' Hangwani Mulaudzi says another two possible suspects were found at the premises.
DRONE VIDEO BEING INVESTIGATED: The Federal Aviation Administration - or FAA - is investigating a viral video showing a home-made "drone" firing a handgun in the Connecticut countryside. The 14-second video called "Flying Gun," which has been watched nearly two million times, has sparked fresh debate about the still largely unregulated world of civilian drones in the United States. We've posted that video on the Breakfast Edition.
CHARLIZE THERON INVITED OBAMA TO STRIP CLUB: Charlize Theron has confessed that she was so nervous when she met US President Barack Obama on the Jimmy Kimmel show, that she got verbal diarrhea - and invited him to a strip club. Check out the video:
HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY PRINCE GEORGE: Prince George celebrates his second birthday on Wednesday and while he's just a toddler, he's already made an impression as a doting elder brother, a magnet to cameras and even a budding fashion trendsetter.
FINANCIAL INDICATORS:
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