News 11:00

BULLETIN 20 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa says South Africa should prepare for the possibility of being removed from AGOA
# The World Food Programme cuts food assistance to half a million Gaza families due to funding shortages
# And soccer: Wiegman stays on as the England Women’s coach until 2029

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa must prepare for the possible exclusion from the US’ African Growth and Opportunity Act. This comes as relations between Washington and Pretoria have soured. US president Donald Trump’s administration has cracked down on South Africa for what Trump claims is its persecution of white Afrikaners. America reviews countries’ eligibility for AGOA annually, with a decision of exclusion set to be announced by November second. Ramaphosa warns losing duty-free access to the American market could have a devastating impact on jobs.

# National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi has emphasised the importance of prosecutor-guided investigations in strengthening the administration of justice and improving the prospects of successful prosecutions. He says prosecutor-guided investigations promote closer collaboration between prosecutors and investigating officials from the early stages of a case. Mothibi says this helps ensure thorough investigations evidentiary gaps are identified and addressed, and dockets are properly prepared before court. He adds strengthening collaboration across the criminal justice system is critical:

# Union federation SAFTU is strongly opposed to the City of Ekurhuleni’s independent power producer procurement plan, viewing this as a form of energy privatisation that undermines Eskom. The metro has been given the green light to procure two-thousand-400 megawatts of electricity from independent power producers, which is expected to save 36-billion-rand over 20 years. SAFTU’s Asive Dyani rejects the argument procuring electricity from private producers is automatically cheaper or offers better value for residents:

Moving abroad:

# The United Nations World Food Programme is slashing food assistance to families in the Gaza Strip by roughly one-third, which will affect some 500-thousand people. This is due to funding shortages. Since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, UN teams have reached around 1.6 million people monthly with food parcels and cash assistance. Spokesperson Shaun Hughes says they urgently require 7.425-billion-rand to maintain critical operations in Gaza and the West Bank through to March next year:

# Soccer: Sarina Wiegman will stay with England’s women’s team for another three years after extending her contract until the end of 2029’s European Championship. The 56-year-old Dutchwoman took over in 2021 and led the team to its first major trophy in the championship the next year. England retained the title last year. They also reached the World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, losing to Spain. England plays Ukraine in next month’s qualifiers for next year’s World Cup.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-38-cents and the euro at 18-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-87-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-730-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-132-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 111-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….