News 16:00

BULLETIN 29 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa loses 14-thousand jobs between March and June
# Rugby: Kolisi could be considered for Stormers duty on Friday
# And an ex-TV anchor in Uganda is crowned king after a succession dispute

# Statistics South Africa says total employment fell by 14-thousand between March and June, with manufacturing, business services, trade and transport recording the biggest losses. Employment was also down by 95-thousand compared with June last year. Full-time jobs fell by 40-thousand, while part-time jobs increased by 26-thousand. Community services recorded the biggest employment gain, adding 29-thousand jobs. Stats SA’s Matlapane Masupye says average monthly earnings increased by 4.1-percent year-on-year:

# Cabinet has welcomed a landmark deal giving South African cherry producers access to the Chinese market for the first time. Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says this opens doors to one of the world’s biggest cherry markets, which imported over fifty-two billion-rand worth of cherries last year alone. She says this historic market opening is expected to significantly stimulate local agricultural investment and jobs creation:

# The South African Council of Churches says a national day of mourning should be considered in light of the recent spate of mass killings. Twenty-eight people were killed in shootings in Gauteng and the Western Cape over the weekend. The council’s general secretary, Reverend Mzwandile Molo, says South Africans have become desensitised to violence, and the value of human life has been cheapened. He says the country is witnessing the total erosion of its moral fibre.

#  Rugby: Springbok captain Siya Kolisi joined the Stormers after his international duty and could be considered for Friday’s United Rugby Championship match against Edinburgh in Scotland. He returns after leaving for the Sharks in 2021 and representing French outfit Racing 92 before returning to Durban in 2024. The Stormers, who beat Connacht in their first match in Ireland last week, lost the services of Evan Roos and Marcel Theunissen through injury, and Kolisi is seen as a possible replacement. The team will be announced on Thursday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-38-cents and the euro at 18-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-164-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-152-dollars-44-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A former television news anchor has been crowned king of Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom, following a succession dispute after the death of King Oyo. The 56-year-old King Edward was chosen by a 21-member committee from the royal Babiito clan. But Oyo’s mother opposed the decision, saying her son left a previously undisclosed son who was named heir in a will. The royal clan says it knew nothing about the child. Tooro’s king has no political power but wields considerable cultural influence.

Stay tuned for more news………….