News 17:00

BULLETIN 16 October 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC Youth League is calling for the removal of all DA ministers from the Government of National Unity
# Gauteng Health denies that SAHPRA revoked the radiation machine licences at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
# And rugby: Ackermann says the Bulls have the squad to get to at least the semifinals of the Champions Cup

# The ANC Youth League has called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to remove all DA ministers from the Government of National Unity and start engaging with other political parties to replace them. The call comes after the DA opposed the ANC’s Constitutional Court bid to reinstate 181 candidates excluded from next month’s local government election ballots. The court ruled in favour of the ANC. The ANC Youth League president, Collen Malatji, says the party has other political options, including bringing the EFF into the GNU:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has inaugurated the second-phase expansion of Vedanta Zinc International’s Gamsberg Mine in the Northern Cape. The project will double mining capacity from four to eight million tonnes annually, increasing zinc-in-concentrate production capacity to approximately 500-thousand tonnes a year. The expansion is expected to sustain between 800 and one-thousand jobs, with recruitment focused on the province. The government says partnerships between business, workers and communities are essential to promoting investment, skills development and inclusive economic growth in the region.

# The Gauteng Department of Health has denied reports that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority revoked licences for radiation therapy machines at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. This follows claims by the DA that SAHPRA had revoked licences for two linear accelerator machines because of a shortage of suitably qualified staff. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says the two additional machines have yet to be approved for clinical use:

# Russian drone attacks have killed at least three people in Ukraine and left around 370-thousand without electricity. Two people were killed and 12 wounded in strikes on the eastern city of Kharkiv. In the north-western Volyn region, near the Polish border, a drone hit a food-processing facility, killing one person and injuring eight. Attacks also damaged shopping centres in Sumy and Rivne, where seven people were wounded. Power crews restored electricity to about 100-thousand people, but blackouts in the city of Lutsk could last at least 24 hours.

# Rugby: Bulls coach Johan Ackermann says they have the strength and the depth to get to at least the semifinals of the Champions Cup, provided the players stay fit. They kick off their campaign against Stade Français at Loftus tomorrow. Ackermann has made ten changes after last week’s United Rugby Championship victory over the Lions. He says winning home games is non-negotiable, while admitting Stade Français will provide a stern test:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-44-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-875-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-167-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 107-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….