News 08:00

BULLETIN 7 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa drops in the global economic freedom rankings
# Minister Pule calls on officials to strengthen accountability and service delivery
# And, the World Health Organisation urges Russia to be transparent on the death of a plague lab worker

# South Africa has dropped to 87th of 165 countries in the Economic Freedom of the World: 2026 Annual Report, as inflation pressures and currency depreciation continue to worsen broader economic challenges. The Free Market Foundation and Canada’s Fraser Institute measured five areas: size of government; legal system and property rights; sound money; freedom to trade internationally; and regulation. With a score of 6.63 out of ten, the report highlights several major structural weaknesses holding South Africa back, including excessive general government spending and heavy regulation, particularly of the labour market.

# Minister of Social Development Dina Pule has called on senior officials to lead with integrity, accountability and compassion, and to address poor performance fairly and consistently. She addressed the Extended Management Committee Ministerial Transformation Plan Session in Pretoria. The Transformation Plan sets a shared direction for the department’s renewal, strengthens governance and turns transformation priorities into practical actions. Pule urged leaders to pursue excellence every day through clear responsibilities, capable officials, shared standards, measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.

# The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements says it will not be deterred by the upcoming local government election from enforcing eviction orders against those who have invaded RDP houses or land. The department is currently pursuing eviction proceedings against illegal occupants who have invaded land and two building projects at Soshanguve Extension 19, as well as projects at Soshanguve BB, GG and FF. The department’s spokesperson, Terry-Ann Van Eck, says illegal occupation undermines the rights of deserving residents and delays housing delivery:

# The World Health Organisation has urged Russia to provide complete and transparent information following the death of a laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia in Moscow’s southeast. Unverified reports suggest 28-year-old Darya Shipilova fell ill after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen or following a field trip to a region where plague occurs naturally. Russia says she died of pneumonia of “unknown” origin. WHO’s Christian Lindmeier says Russia needs to enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risk:

# Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo has accused Portugal head coach Jorge Jesus of breaking his promises to him. The 41-year-old captain left the national team squad on the eve of a Nations League fixture against Denmark after he was an unused substitute against Norway. In a lengthy statement, Ronaldo accused Jesus of an “absolute breach of trust” for not playing him against Norway after saying he would, and for not presenting an agreed version of events to the media. He emphasised that he is not retiring from the national team.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-57-cents and the euro at 18-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-96-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-941-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-142-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….