News 15:00

BULLETIN 23 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC appeals to the Constitutional Court over 181 candidates barred from the local government polls
# Airbus targets growth in South African and African markets
# And cricket: Maphaka becomes the fourth Proteas fast bowler to withdraw from the ODI series against Australia

# The ANC has taken its fight over 181 excluded election candidates to the Constitutional Court. This comes after the Electoral Court last week dismissed the party’s bid to have the candidates reinstated for the 4 November local government elections. The party argues the candidates’ details were captured on the Electoral Commission’s online system before the deadline of 28 August, but administrators could not complete the final submission. The ConCourt is expected to hear the matter on 7 October.

# Rise Mzansi condemns the killing of 11 people, including a pregnant woman, and injury of three people in KwaMakhutha, KwaZulu-Natal. The party’s Mabinda Seaba says extreme violence has become too frequent and demands decisive action, accountability and fresh leadership. Seaba calls for the removal of illegal firearms, disruption of criminal networks through swift intelligence action, and community collaboration to support residents to speak up:

# Statistics South Africa says easing fuel inflation helped slow annual transport inflation in August. Transport inflation declined to 8.8-percent from 8.9-percent in July, while annual fuel inflation eased to 20-percent. Petrol prices fell by two-percent between July and August, although diesel prices increased by 3.1-percent. Stats SA’s Patrick Kelly says fish prices continued to rise, with hake up 12-percent over the past year and fish fingers increasing by 11.3-percent:

# Aerospace giant Airbus is seeking to expand the presence of its C295 military transport aircraft in South Africa and across Africa. The aircraft can conduct troop and cargo transport, medical evacuations and humanitarian missions, including from unpaved runways. Airbus has also signed a four-year agreement with Wits University and France’s Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space to strengthen aerospace engineering education. The partnership will support student exchanges, advanced research and skills development, boosting local aerospace innovation and manufacturing.

# Cricket: Kwena Maphaka became South Africa’s fourth fast bowler to be withdrawn from the one-day series against Australia, starting in Durban tomorrow. He joins Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Ottneil Baartman, who are also injured. Duan Jansen, Lizaad Williams and Nqobani Mokoena were drawn into the squad, leaving them, Jansen’s twin brother Marco, Gerald Coetzee and Corbin Bosch with combined experience of only 72 matches between them. The second ODI will be played at the Wanderers on Sunday and the third in Potchefstroom next Wednesday.  

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-32-cents and the euro at 18-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 85-thousand-560-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-305-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-77-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….