News 07:00

BULLETIN 5 October 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says the ANC is renewing itself ahead of the local government elections
# Parliament wants a say over municipal funding
# And rugby: The Bok Women finish their European tour with a seventh successive win over Spain

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party is now working hard to renew itself and regain lost support ahead of the local government elections. He spoke at an event held at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Gonubie, Eastern Cape, on Sunday. In 2021, the ANC’s share of the national municipal vote fell from 53.9-percent in 2016 to 45.59-percent. Mbalula also expressed confidence in their case against the Electoral Commission before the Constitutional Court over their 181 candidates not on the ballot:

# Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says that while South Africa wants foreign capital, it wants it to build processing, beneficiation and manufacturing capacity on home soil. The country recorded 49.8-billion-rand in foreign direct investment inflows during the second quarter of this year. Minister Ntshavheni says the country’s energy, telecommunications and mining rules are made by South Africans, under the Constitution, to serve their development. She adds that the country determines its domestic policy based on the best interests of citizens, while providing fair market access for all partners.

# Parliament is developing regulations that could give it a say when the National Treasury withholds funds from municipalities. Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs chairperson, Zweli Mkhize, says the move follows Treasury’s withholding of equitable shares from 69 municipalities over alleged financial mismanagement and non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act. Mkhize says residents should not suffer because of officials’ failures. He elaborated that Parliament’s regulations would require the National Treasury to follow a process where Parliament can agree or disagree with future funding withholding decisions.

# KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Human Settlement says 38 motorists have been arrested for drunk driving in Newcastle over the weekend. Spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya says 24 were arrested on Saturday night. The arrests included professionals, a University of KwaZulu-Natal student and a pensioner. One driver was also caught using a cellphone. Sibiya warns that drinking and driving impairs thinking, understanding and reaction times, increasing the risk of fatal crashes on roads:

# Russia’s military has warned that it will intensify its strikes targeting Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities in response to comments made by president Volodymyr Zelensky last week. Zelensky said Kyiv would ramp up its attacks on Russian oil refineries. A Russian drone hit Kyiv’s key Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River on Sunday, injuring two people. This marked the fourth consecutive day that Moscow targeted bridges in Kyiv, used by tens of thousands of residents commuting between the city’s two banks. Russia currently controls about 20-percent of Ukrainian territory.

# Rugby: The Springbok Women produced a dominant performance to defeat Spain 20-0 in their final W15 Global Series tour of Europe in Seville. South Africa led 10-0 at halftime and ran in three tries through Catha Jacobs, Aseza Hele, and Jakkie Cilliers in hot conditions to secure their seventh successive win over the Spaniards. Franzel September, who shares the head coaching responsibilities with Laurian Johannes-Haupt, says they are particularly happy with the way they managed to kill the flow of the Spanish team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-64-cents and the euro at 18-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-2-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-667-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-161-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….