News 06:00
BULLETIN 9 October 6 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# A Western Cape woman is sentenced to 20 years for murdering her three great-grandchildren
# Jacob Zuma misses his Johannesburg campaign event amid health concerns
# And rugby: The first local derbies of the United Rugby Championship are being played this weekend
# A Western Cape woman was given a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of her three great-grandchildren. Seventy-one-year-old Sarie de Villiers of Wellington admitted she deliberately drove her vehicle off Bainskloof Pass in November 2021. She survived, but eight-year-old Caleb Booysen and his younger brothers, Gradwell and Joshua, were killed. The children had been living in foster care after they were removed from the family home over their parents’ substance abuse. De Villiers told the Worcester Regional Court she was protecting them from a life of suffering.
# MK Party president Jacob Zuma has missed the party’s Johannesburg state of the city address amid reports that he is in hospital. A Zuma confidant told News24 the former president has been ill. However, the party says he is healthy and recently attended a routine medical check-up. Zuma’s second deputy president, Tony Yengeni, attended the event in his place and delivered a message calling on Johannesburg residents to support the party’s mayoral candidate, Bongani Baloyi.
Meanwhile, the City of Johannesburg has reopened 14 public swimming pools as part of a phased reopening programme. The city says recruitment, compliance and maintenance issues have been resolved at the facilities, with qualified lifeguards on standby. A further ten pools are expected to open from Monday, including facilities in Rabie Ridge, Dobsonville, Jabavu, Sydenham and Lenasia. Mayoral committee member for Community Development, Thapelo Amad, says the reopening has taken longer than expected.
# Statistics South Africa says manufacturing production fell by 4.3-percent in August compared with the same month last year. The biggest declines were in motor vehicles, chemicals, wood and paper, and food and beverages. Production fell by 3.1-percent from July, while manufacturing sales increased by 1.1-percent in August and rose by 1.4-percent over the three months to August. Stats SA’s Nicolai Claassen says motor vehicles and chemicals made the biggest contributions to the increase in sales:
Moving abroad:
# British police admitted the search warrant for ex-Prince Andrew’s properties had been incorrectly granted and must be quashed. The 66-year-old former royal was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over his ties to late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. His elder brother, King Charles, stripped him of his titles earlier. The High Court says Andrew and Thames Valley Police reached an agreement, but the police will keep the seized items until a hearing next year while the criminal investigation continues.
# Rugby: The first local derbies of the new United Rugby Championship season take place this weekend. The Bulls will host the Lions at Loftus tomorrow afternoon, with kick-off at 1.30. The Stormers will welcome the Sharks to Cape Town, starting at 4. The Sharks currently top the log following victories in their first two home matches, followed by Welsh outfit Cardiff and the Lions, who are also still unbeaten. The Bulls and the Stormers are in seventh and eighth positions, respectively, after mixed results in the opening rounds.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-57-cents and the euro at 18-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-855-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-139-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 106-dollars-95-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….