News 16:00

BULLETIN 16 October 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission welcomes Suliman Carrim’s arrest while trying to leave the country
# The DA will open a criminal case over Tshwane’s water crisis
# And a man is caught with a suitcase full of snakes at a German airport

# The Madlanga Commission has welcomed the arrest of North West businessman Suliman Carrim at OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng last night. He had appeared before the commission in March, but missed subsequent hearings, citing medical reasons. Spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says charges were laid against Carrim after he failed to appear under subpoena on August 14 and repeatedly failed to provide requested information and documents:

# The DA will open a criminal case over alleged failures at Tshwane’s Bronkhorstspruit water treatment plant following reports of up to 160 cases of gastrointestinal illnesses. The cause of the illnesses has not been established. The DA’s mayoral candidate, Cilliers Brink, says a whistleblower alleges chlorine treatment has been suspended for three weeks. He demands water-quality test results, an independent investigation and urgent access to safe drinking water for affected communities:

In Cape Town, the metro urges residents and businesses to save water as the city prepares for a longer, drier summer. The city recently visited Stodels Garden Centre in Bellville, which uses borehole water and encourages gardeners to choose water-wise plants and adopt other water-saving methods. Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says saving water is a shared responsibility, with every drop helping to protect the city’s water supply:

Moving abroad:

# German customs officials have discovered 92 reptiles, including 37 venomous snakes, hidden in the suitcase of a Mexican traveller at Cologne Bonn Airport. The 45-year-old firefighter was stopped after appearing nervous while trying to pass through the exit for passengers with nothing to declare. A drug test indicated cocaine use, but officials found no drugs in his luggage. Instead, they discovered the reptiles concealed in bottles, plastic containers and socks. Around 30 animals died during or shortly after the journey. The man was returned to Istanbul.

# Tennis: Britain’s Sonay Kartal has beaten fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina from Ukraine to reach her first WTA One-thousand semi-final at the Wuhan Open in China. The 24-year-old won in straight sets, extending her impressive comeback after missing six months with a back injury. Kartal, ranked 170th in the world, has now beaten three seeded players in a row. She will face Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko tomorrow for a place in the final.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents and the euro at 18-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-277-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-177-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 107-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….