News 13:00

BULLETIN 17 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ambassador Meyer says South Africa wants to pursue negotiations with America amid visa restrictions
# An organisation urges vigilance as the ninth woman is found murdered in Ekurhuleni
# And cricket: The Proteas and Zimbabwe’s women face off in the penultimate T20 in Bulawayo

# South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Roelf Meyer, says government wants to continue pursuing a dialogue with Washington, even on difficult diplomatic terrain. The US has imposed new restrictions on those it deems responsible or complicit in policies promoting race-based discrimination, inciting imminent violence against racial or ethnic minorities, or enabling expropriation without compensation in South Africa. Meyer told the SABC strengthening diplomatic ties with the US is important:

# Missing in Southern Africa has condemned gender-based violence following the discovery of a ninth woman’s body in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The organisation says the latest case in Dawn Park follows similar discoveries in areas such as Kempton Park and KwaThema. Spokesperson Priya Ranchod says every victim represents a devastated family. She urges urgent reporting of missing persons to police, as the first hours remain critical in generating leads and finding people safely:

Meanwhile, Women in Need calls on president Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure the classification of gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster leads to urgent, measurable and adequately resourced action. The organisation’s spokesperson, Dorothy Mabelebele, says the Human Sciences Research Council’s GBVF prevalence study found over 33-percent of South African women have experienced physical violence, and about 9.8-percent have experienced sexual violence:

# Cricket: South Africa and Zimbabwe’s women play the penultimate of five T20s in Bulawayo today. The visitors already clinched the series by winning the first three encounters. They beat the neighbours by six wickets in the first game and by 64 runs in the second before captain Laura Wolvaardt produced a masterclass in the third, scoring an unbeaten 126 and leading South Africa to an 80-run victory. The final match will be played on Sunday before the Proteas head home for a Test and white-ball series against India.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-28-cents and the euro at 18-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-81-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-654-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-311-dollars-28-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The City of Johannesburg has been named a highly commended finalist in the Living Green for Health and Wellbeing category of the International Association of Horticultural Producers World Green City Awards 2026. The city’s Greening the City initiative, led by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, is among three international finalists. Managing director Thanduxolo Mendrew says the programme addresses historic inequalities in access to trees and green spaces, while highlighting the need to protect the ageing tree canopy and build healthier, climate-resilient communities.

Stay tuned for more news………….