News 11:00

BULLETIN 29 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Lamola says South Africa is preparing for any eventuality concerning AGOA
# Netanyahu has accused Arab parties of stealing Israel’s election
# And rugby: Thomas du Toit says it will take time for the Sharks to hit their stride in the scrums

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola says government is preparing for any eventuality concerning the US African Growth and Opportunity Act. The White House reviews countries’ eligibility for AGOA annually, with a decision expected on Monday. Concerns about South Africa’s exclusion have intensified as the diplomatic dispute with Washington has escalated. Lamola says the country must strengthen trade with its traditional partners, expand into new markets and negotiate favourable terms for goods and produce:

# Sakeliga has approached the Constitutional Court to defend the requirement for written agreements when transferring residential property. The business organisation is seeking to join the case as a friend of the court after the High Court in Pretoria ruled that verbal property transfer agreements could be legally binding. Sakeliga’s Anton Meijer argues written agreements help prevent fraud, protect property rights, reduce disputes over ownership and provide legal certainty.

# The City of Cape Town’s joint Safety and Security Services and police have heightened visibility at various public transport interchanges after three people were killed at the Palm taxi rank in Delft yesterday. The violence stems from longstanding disputes between associations CATA and CODETA over routes and operating rights. Shootings were also reported at taxi ranks in Mfuleni, Khayelitsha and Gugulethu. Mayoral committee member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, says drone surveillance has been increased:

Moving abroad:

# Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an immediate investigation after claiming Arab parties stole the election through bribery, violence and voting irregularities. With over 80-percent of the votes counted following Tuesday’s vote, Netanyahu’s Likud party and its far-right allies and his rival, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, will fail to secure a majority in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset. Netanyahu says the Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state have severely damaged the integrity of the elections and the results.

# Rugby: Sharks prop Thomas du Toit says the team is confident heading into Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash with Munster in Limerick, Ireland. The Durban-based club bounced back from their 39-22 defeat to the Stormers with consecutive victories over Lyon in the Challenge Cup and Cardiff in the URC. While the Sharks have rediscovered their winning touch under coach JP Pietersen, their scrum remains a work in progress. Du Toit has urged patience:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-63-cents and the euro at 18-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 79-thousand-832-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-35-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 115-dollars-36-sents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….