News 17:00

BULLETIN 16 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC is to appeal the Electoral Court ruling on 181 municipal candidates
# The IEC disqualifies over five-thousand candidates after a statutory review
# And: SACCI says trade conditions recover but are still tough

# The ANC says it will appeal the Electoral Court judgment rejecting its challenge over the exclusion of 181 candidates in six municipalities ahead of the 4 November local government elections. The party maintains that the candidates’ information was captured on the IEC’s electronic system before the deadline, but technical problems prevented the final submission. The ANC’s Mahlengi Bhengu has urged members and supporters to remain calm and disciplined while the legal process continues:

Meanwhile, more than five-thousand candidates have been disqualified from contesting this year following the Electoral Commission’s statutory review process. The disqualifications followed checks to confirm that candidates were properly nominated and that all applicable deposits had been paid. Briefing the media, Chief electoral official Sy Mamabolo said preparations for the 4 November polls are on track:

# Police have launched a manhunt after former SABC sports presenter and businessman Owen Ndlovu was allegedly abducted outside a church in Katlehong on the Gauteng East Rand. Police say Ndlovu was picking up his wife when three armed men confronted the couple. His wife was pushed aside before the suspects forced Ndlovu into his Ford Raptor and fled. The vehicle was later recovered abandoned nearby, but Ndlovu remains missing. Police are investigating cases of kidnapping and hijacking and have appealed for information.

# The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry says trade conditions improved marginally in July and August, but remain challenging. SACCI says its Present Conditions Index recovered from 35 in June to 42 in August. The chamber’s CEO Alan Mukoki warns rising crude oil prices could increase business input costs and affect spending. Meanwhile, consumer inflation eased to 4.3-percent in July. He says expectations for the next six months remain positive, with the employment index rising to 64 in August from 40 in April.

# Rugby: Springbok hooker Marnus van der Merwe will make his debut for Irish team Munster in a pre-season match against Leicester Tigers in Cork. He joined from Welsh outfit Scarlets during the off-season, but a calf injury kept him out. Van der Merwe played for the Cheetahs before moving overseas. He played three Tests for South Africa since making his debut last year. It’s been said although Van der Merwe is off the Boks’ radar currently, coach Rassie Erasmus is keeping an eye on his progress in Ireland.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-27-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 75-thousand-883-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-345-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 108-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….