November 01, 2016.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines:
Zuma’s application to interdict ‘state capture’ report to be heard in Pretoria court
Zuma, Mugabe to co-chair BNC meeting in Harare this week
And, NSFAS to pay student registration fees

President Jacob Zuma’s application to interdict the release of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s report on “state capture” is expected to be heard in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The report, which Madonsela said was “final”, contains her findings on allegations that the politically connected Gupta family wielded vast influence over executive decisions. She finalised the report before leaving office last month.

Zuma, who has astoundingly close ties to the wealthy Gupta family, applied for an interdict to halt the release of the report, three days after he demanded an undertaking from Madonsela that she would not wrap up her investigation until he had been allowed to question witnesses in the investigation.

The President also complained that he was not given enough time to respond.

President Jacob Zuma is expected to visit the Zimbabwe capital Harare this week for the inaugural session of the Bi-National Commission between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

According to the State-owned Herald newspaper, the meeting will be jointly chaired by Zuma and his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe.

The report said that the BNC meetings were expected to start on Monday, with a meeting of senior officials focusing on bilateral issues including trade, investment, energy, tourism, water and health.

Head of Zimbabwe’s senior officials’ delegation, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, and South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane were expected to sign agreements and a memorandum of understanding after which a joint communiqué would be issued.  

Students who qualify for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme will no longer have to pay registration fees at universities and colleges at the beginning of the year, NSFAS CEO Msulwa Daca said at a media briefing on Monday.

The NSFAS management team announced significant changes to the student funding model going forward, including the removal of tertiary institution offices from the application process, meaning that students would now apply directly to the NSFAS.

Applications are open until November 30 for eligible students.

To keep in touch with the news while you are on the move, visit m.polity.org.za
That’s a roundup of news making headlines today