News 12:00

BULLETIN 15 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Constitutional Court rules in favour of the ANC over its excluded 181 candidates
# A parliamentary committee calls for former minister Tolashe to face criminal charges
# And rugby: The All Blacks’ coach makes eight changes for the second Test against the Wallabies

# The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the ANC in its dispute with the Electoral Commission over 181 candidates from six municipalities excluded from the November 4 local government elections. The municipalities are Port St Johns, Ngquza Hill, Walter Sisulu and Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape, Mangaung in the Free State and uMshwathi in KwaZulu-Natal. Justice Rammaka Mathopo set aside the commission’s decision to reject the party’s candidate lists:

Meanwhile, social security agency SASSA has changed next month’s social grant payment dates ahead of the local government elections. Older persons will receive their grants on 30 October, disability grants will be paid on 2 November and children’s grants the next day. Payments for grants under review will be made on the fifth of November. SASSA’s Andile Tshona urges beneficiaries to follow the new dates and attend required reviews:

# Members of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Social Development want former minister Sisisi Tolashe to face criminal charges. She allegedly ordered unlawful deductions of her food aide’s salary in 2024. An investigation by the Public Service Commission found the woman was forced to pay 37-thousand-rand of her salary to Tolashe’s daughter over three months. Committee chairperson Bridget Masango says the findings raise serious concerns about compliance with Public Service recruitment procedures:

Moving abroad:

# At least 26 children, all below the age of 13, and two teachers have died when a school roof collapsed in Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan. The roof of a higher floor reportedly collapsed onto the roof of the first floor, which ​in turn collapsed ​on ⁠children in classes. About 40 people have been injured while rescuers are searching the rubble for any survivors. The death toll is expected to rise. Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, says this heart-wrenching tragedy has plunged the entire nation into shock.

# Rugby: All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has made eight changes to his match-day 23 for Saturday’s second Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies in Sydney. George Bower moves from the bench to start at loosehead prop, and lock Fabian Holland joins Scott Barrett in the second row. Josh Moorby, who came off the bench in the victory at Eden Park, starts on the left wing. Samisoni Taukei’aho, Xavier Numia, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Cortez Ratima and Timoci Tavatavanawai are on the bench.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-52-cents and the euro at 18-rand-55-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-117-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-153-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 105-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….