News 08:00

BULLETIN 19 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC Women’s League is demanding action against Gwede Mantashe
# Duduzane Zuma is confident the MK Party will do well in the elections
# And swimming: Pieter Coetzé is the fifth South African to win the Swimming World Cup title

# The ANC Women’s League is demanding that the party’s national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, face disciplinary action and apologise for the derogatory remarks he made while campaigning in the North West. Responding to a question by a journalist on sex for jobs, Mantashe referenced female genitalia. The Women’s League Secretary-General Nokuthula Nqaba told Newzroom Afrika that the comments were gratuitously improper and amount to repeated insults and attacks on women. She rejected the use of Mantashe’s age to excuse his dishonourable conduct:

# MK Party First deputy president Duduzane Zuma has expressed confidence that the party will perform well in next month’s local government elections. The party, which will be contesting the municipal elections for the first time since its formation in 2023, held a mini-rally at Mnini Sports Ground in uMgababa, south of Durban on Sunday. Zuma has urged South African voters, especially young people, to take the elections seriously rather than giving in to voter apathy:

# The Police’s National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit seized counterfeit goods worth more than 160-million-rand during a multi-disciplinary operation in the Johannesburg CBD this past week. Officers executed search-and-seizure warrants at identified premises, resulting in the discovery of suspected fake branded products. Police spokesperson Amanda van Wyk says more than 62-thousand counterfeit items were confiscated, including high-end branded clothing, footwear, cosmetics, watches, jewellery and sunglasses:

# French president Emmanuel Macron has called for calm and order, describing the violence as the work of “seditious elements from far-left factions, joined by numerous delinquents.” The country is reeling from one of the most violent weekends of unrest after peaceful anti-government protests descended into rioting and looting. The demonstrations have been against rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services. Two-thousand-400 people have been arrested. In a national address yesterday evening, Macron said nothing justifies the “unbridled” violence seen, vowing that those involved would face justice.

# Swimming: Twenty-two-year-old Pieter Coetzé has become the fifth South African to win the Swimming World Cup title. He clinched the overall title with 172.9 points across the three World Cup legs in Baku, Tashkent and Astana, where he took home ten medals, including a 50-metre backstroke world record. Coetzé has pocketed a career-high of around 1.6-million-rand for the overall title and two Triple Crown bonuses of about 165-thousand-rand each, after winning gold in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke at all three legs of the World Cup.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-45-cents and the euro at 18-rand-47-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-93-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-503-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-179-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 109-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….