News 11:00

BULLETIN 30 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cape Town International Airport has operational staffing constraints linked to the taxi-related unrest
# The MK Party’s election campaign is described as a catastrophic mess
# And rugby: The fifth round of the United Rugby Championship will be followed by a month-long lay-off

# The Cape Town International Airport is currently experiencing longer-than-usual queues at security screening due to operational staffing constraints associated with the ongoing taxi-related unrest. The disruptions have led to staff shortages, which have caused flight delays. Airports Company South Africa advises passengers to monitor traffic updates, check their flight status directly with their airline and arrive early to allow additional time for processing. It adds teams are working to manage passenger flow and minimise disruptions.

# MK Party insiders have described the party’s first local government election campaign as a catastrophic mess. Leader Jacob Zuma has not been seen in public since falling ill at a campaign event earlier this month. The party cancelled its Siyathatha rally and physical manifesto launch, fired its eighth secretary general in less than three years and restructured its parliamentary caucus. An insider told News24 Zuma’s absence reflected the lack of an official national election campaign. He says MK’s election campaign was a complete failure.

# ActionSA supports acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia’s recommendation to cabinet to appoint KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as the national head of the Hawks. ActionSA’s Stephan Gerber says this comes after months of investigations, commissions, parliamentary committees and mounting public pressure over the alleged infiltration of the Police Service by criminal elements operating within its ranks. He says Mkhwanazi brought these concerns into the national spotlight last year:

Moving abroad:

# US vice president JD Vance has expressed confidence president Donald Trump will achieve the administration’s objectives in Iran. A new estimate from the US Central Command shows the war, which started on 28 February, has cost the American military at least 782.46-billion-rand as of mid-October. Trump has suggested he might restart hostilities with Tehran after the midterm elections unless Iran agrees to a deal. Vance told Fox News the war will end soon:

# Rugby: The fifth round of the United Rugby Championship will be played this weekend before the competition takes a one-month break for the international window. The Lions and Glasgow Warriors play each other in Scotland tonight, and the Stormers welcome Irish outfit Ulster to Cape Town tomorrow. The Bulls host Wales’ Scarlets at Loftus and the Sharks are away to Munster in Ireland. The Bulls are currently third on the log behind Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the Stormers fourth, the Sharks fifth and the Lions 11th.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-62-cents and the euro at 18-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-385-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-983-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 116-dollars-97-sents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….