News 09:00
BULLETIN 14 October 9 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# South African households are threatened by the pressure of hunger
# The Workers and Socialist Party urges COSATU to sever political ties with the ANC
# And rugby: South African teams turn their attention to the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup
# Food security in South Africa deteriorated in 2025, with 12-percent of households reporting hunger while 14.7-percent of individuals experienced hunger. This is according to the South African Food Security Index 2026 commissioned by the Shoprite Group. The country’s overall food security score fell to 52.6 last year from 56.5 in 2024. This is because food inflation has reduced the availability of food, while access and dietary diversity remained stable. Shoprite Group’s Sanjeev Raghubir says rising electricity, transport, and other essential costs are eroding household budgets, so support must reach beyond the food basket.
# The Workers and Socialist Party has urged the new leadership of COSATU to implement its 2022 resolution to sever political ties with the ANC. Delegates attending COSATU’s 15th National Congress in Kempton Park, Gauteng, voted for the union federation’s six top leadership positions yesterday, with the results expected to be announced today. The Workers and Socialist Party’s Mametlwe Sebei says COSATU must prioritise organising workers, fighting retrenchments and defending workers’ interests:
# ActionSA in Tshwane has criticised DA mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink for the financial and water infrastructure failures during his tenure leading the metro. Brink served as Tshwane mayor from March 2023 to September 2024. ActionSA’s Henriette Frohlich says under Brink’s mayoral ship, money the metro owed to Eskom ballooned from 1.1-billion-rand to 6.67-billion-rand, while the debtors’ book grew to 26-billion-rand, with ten-billion-rand owing to creditors. She adds that by October 2024, Tshwane had passed four unfunded budgets in a row:
# The US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, has resigned following a string of reports about alleged misconduct. The former Fox News host allegedly asked a Donald Trump donor to pay her hefty credit card bill ahead of her confirmation hearing, in exchange for access to the administration. and behaved inappropriately while in Athens. The 57-year-old also accepted improper gifts and services during her tenure in Athens. Guilfoyle has denied any wrongdoing, vowing to defend her name, reputation, and integrity.
# Rugby: South African teams now turn their attention to the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup competitions, where they haven’t had much success in the past. The Stormers, the Bulls and the Lions are competing in the Champions Cup and the Sharks and the Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup. The Stormers play English club Bristol Bears in Cape Town, and the Bulls will welcome Stade Francais to Loftus. The Lions are up against La Rochelle, the Sharks play Lyon, and the Cheetahs play Aviron Bayonnais – all in France.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-46-cents and the euro at 18-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-84-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-627-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-160-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 108-dollars-50-cents a barrel.