News 12:00

BULLETIN 17 September 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The body of a ninth woman is found in Ekurhuleni
# The EFF accuses America of interfering in South Africa’s sovereign affairs
# And rugby: A former England flyhalf believes it will take something special to beat the Boks in next year’s World Cup

# A ninth woman’s body has been found in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. It is understood the body was found half-naked, wrapped in a sheet, in Dawn Park this morning. This follows the discovery of the bodies of eight other women in Kempton Park, Olifantsfontein and Kwathema over the past two months. Acting provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana says a multidisciplinary team detectives, forensic experts, crime intelligence and specialised units are investigating all the deaths:

Meanwhile, the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide is appealing to families with missing loved ones in Gauteng to come forward and assist with DNA identification of the murdered women. The council says police have reiterated there is no waiting period to report a missing person. Families are urged to immediately report missing persons at their nearest police station.

# The EFF says the US has once again demonstrated it is prepared to weaponise its diplomatic and economic power to interfere in South Africa’s sovereign affairs. Washington has imposed visa restrictions on South Africa, targeting people it accuses of being involved in race-based discrimination and incitement of violence against the Afrikaner minority. The EFF says the US cannot be allowed to use its international influence to pressure South Africa into abandoning policies aimed at correcting the economic and racial inequalities created by colonialism and apartheid.

# Rugby: Former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes says overcoming the Springboks in the 2027 World Cup will require a team led by a player as talented as New Zealand’s Ardie Savea or France’s Antoine Dupont. South Africa will be chasing an unprecedented third successive world title in Australia next year. Writing for the UK Sunday Times, Barnes believes the Boks’ organisation is their greatest strength heading towards the global showpiece. He lauded players like Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian Willemse, and Cheslin Kolbe for their agility, while noting Damian de Allende’s consistency.

# And financial news: FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi says the re-emergence of heightened geopolitical tensions, higher oil prices and the potential for higher borrowing costs suggest consumer budgets will remain under pressure. South Africa’s retail sales surprised to the upside in July, with growth accelerating to 3.4-percent year-on-year from 1.1-percent in June. Mkhwanazi says this suggests consumer spending held up better than expected, echoing the resilience already evident in quarter two gross domestic product data:

The dollar currently trades at 16-rand-31-cents and the euro at 18-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-358-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-316-dollars-18-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-89-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….