News 06:00

BULLETIN 27 Oktober 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa dismisses polling, suggesting that the ANC will lose more ground in the metros
# Action Society accuses the government of shielding convicted child sex offenders
# And, Israeli voters head to the polls today in a high-stakes election

# ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed polls and recent studies suggesting the party will lose more ground to the DA in the local government elections. According to Ipsos, support for the ANC is set to slip further to just 31-percent, down from 45.6-percent in 2021. The DA’s internal polling data suggests it could emerge as the largest party in six metros. Ramaphosa, who was campaigning in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, yesterday, insisted the ANC will get an outright majority:

# Action Society urges the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to set a firm deadline for public access to the national register for sex offenders. After six years of campaigning, the organisation argues parents still have no way to check whether adults around their children have been convicted of child sex offences. Action Society’s Juanita du Preez calls for regulated access, safeguards against misuse, and a clear implementation date:

# Gambling law expert Wayne Lurie says the proposed national tax on online gambling is not yet final and still requires parliamentary approval before it can take effect. Lurie urges the National Treasury to conduct proper economic modelling and consult affected stakeholders before finalising the proposal, with the final design expected to be announced in next year’s February budget. He warns higher taxes could push gamblers towards illegal offshore operators, reducing government revenue and leaving consumers with fewer protections.

# Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina says government is auditing water treatment works to assess their condition, with particular attention to Gauteng because of its large population and unreliable water supply in some areas. This comes as the gastrointestinal illness cases linked to contaminated water in the Bronkhorstspruit area in Tshwane have risen to 833. Majodina says that while Tshwane has obtained the required chlorine, the Bronkhorstspruit wastewater treatment plant remains closed indefinitely:

# Israel will hold its first election today since the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 ‌, that plunged the Middle East into turmoil. The election could end prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long grip on power. Israelis vote for parties rather than directly electing a prime minister, with the 120 seats in the Knesset, which is the country’s Parliament, allocated through proportional representation. Recent polls show neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the main opposition bloc led by centrist former military chief Gadi Eisenkot will reach the 61 seats needed for a majority.

# Cricket: Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee could play his first Test for South Africa in the series decider against Australia that gets underway in Cape Town today. He replaces fellow quick bowler Anrich Nortjé, who suffered a groin injury in the second encounter in Gqeberha, which the Proteas won by an innings and 31 runs to square the series. South African captain Temba Bavuma says Coetzee, who played the last of his four Tests in November 2024, is the only change to the squad.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-62-cents and the euro at 18-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-851-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-12-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 115-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….