News 15:00

BULLETIN 17 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga commission hears of gangs’ juvenile recruitments to carry out murders
# The EU proposes a social media ban for children under 13
# And tennis: The season-ending WTA Finals will be staged in Charlotte from next year

# Correctional Services commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale says gangs are recruiting juveniles to commit serious crimes, including murder. He told the Madlanga commission gangs deliberately use juveniles because the criminal justice system treats young offenders differently from adults, making them vulnerable to exploitation by organised criminal groups. Thobakgale revealed that gangs often have hierarchies, and some young offenders come from families with a history of gang membership:

# The National Transmission Company South Africa needs about 440-billion-rand in investment over the next decade for  transmission expansion and grid access. They are preparing for Windaba 2026 in Cape Town next month. CEO Monde Bala says the investment will fund around 14-thousand-500 kilometres of high-voltage power lines and new transformer capacity. He says private investment and public-private partnerships will be vital to speeding up infrastructure projects and connecting new renewable energy projects to the national grid.

# The eThekwini Municipality has welcomed Ethiopian Airlines’ decision to launch a daily non-stop air service connecting Durban directly to Addis Ababa from 11 December. Previously, travellers and freight operators navigating between Durban and East Africa, as well as onward global markets, were required to connect via domestic layovers in Johannesburg or Cape Town. The municipality’s spokesperson, Senzelwe Mzila, says this reinforces the province’s position as a key gateway into Africa:

# The European Commission has proposed banning social media accounts for children under 13, as part of new measures to protect minors online. Children aged 13 to under 15 would only be allowed to use supervised mini accounts, with limited features and a one-hour daily time limit. The plan would also cover video-sharing platforms, online games and artificial intelligence chatbots. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says Europe needs stronger safeguards after hearing concerns from young people and families about the impact of online services.

# Tennis: Charlotte in North Carolina in the US will become the new home of the WTA Finals from next year until 2029. The season-ending event featuring the top eight women’s singles players and doubles teams will be staged at the Spectrum Centre. This year’s finals will be played in Indian Wells, California, in November, after the controversial deal to stage the event in Saudi Arabia ended a year early. WTA chairperson Valerie Camillo says they want to create the Super Bowl of women’s sports and bring stability.

# And 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-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-315-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-328-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….