For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa appoints Imtiaz Fazel as Inspector-General of Intelligence; Ramaphosa congratulates Da Silva on election as Brazil’s President; And, Gauteng premier wants Soweto's Eskom debt of close to R5bn written off

Ramaphosa appoints Imtiaz Fazel as Inspector-General of Intelligence

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Imtiaz Fazel as the Inspector-General of Intelligence, following Parliament's approval, for a tenure of five years from Tuesday, 1 November.

Last month, the National Assembly approved Fazel's appointment after interviewing 12 out of 25 people who applied for the position.

In a statement, Ramaphosa's office said the Intelligence Services Oversight Act mandates the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to recommend a candidate for approval by at least two-thirds of MPs.

The Inspector-General monitors and reviews the operations of the intelligence services, including the State Security Agency, the defence intelligence division of the South African National Defence Force and the crime intelligence division of the South African Police Service.

Ramaphosa congratulates Da Silva on election as Brazil’s President

President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his congratulations to Brazil’s newly elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Brazil held its elections on October 2 and the President-elect won with 50.9% of the vote, ousting Jair Bolsonaro.

Da Silva previously served as President between 2003 and 2010 and he also spent 580 days in jail for receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil's State oil company Petrobras.

Da Silva’s conviction was eventually annulled and he returned to politics.

And, Gauteng premier wants Soweto's Eskom debt of close to R5bn written off

After government's commitment to pay billions to settle Sanral's e-toll debt, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also wants Soweto's debt to Eskom – nearly R5-billion - scrapped. 

According to Lesufi, debt forgiveness is needed for "townships", informal settlements and hostels to develop. 

Eskom has already written off billions in unpaid electricity bills in Soweto – in 2020 alone, it wrote off nearly R8-billion in overdue debt.

As of 30 September 2022, Soweto still owed the power utility R4.7-billion, the utility confirmed on Friday.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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