News 09:00

BULLETIN 3 November 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus says South Africa will now bear the consequences of insulting one of its biggest trade partners
# TLU SA commends the police and communities following arrests in farming communities
# And, investigators say the American Learjet 60 may have broken up before impact

# The Freedom Front Plus says president Cyril Ramaphosa and minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, must shoulder the blame for South Africa’s exclusion from the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The US will exclude South Africa and Rwanda from the major Africa-US duty-free trade deal next year, over practices inconsistent with the deal’s eligibility criteria. FF Plus says when a country keeps alienating and insulting one of its biggest trade partners while embracing its enemies, despite clear warnings from various sides, it should expect to bear the consequences.

Meanwhile, the union federation COSATU says it is deeply concerned by the impact South Africa’s exit from AGOA would have on thousands of agricultural and manufacturing jobs linked to it. Reasons for the exclusion include barriers that undermine American trade and investment and pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy interests in the region. COSATU’s Matthew Parks estimates around ten-thousand job losses linked to AGOA:

# TLU SA says cooperation between police and farming communities is key to fighting rural crime. The agricultural organisation has welcomed the arrest of suspects following violent attacks in the Sannieshof and Ventersdorp farming communities in North West. TLU SA’s Bennie van Zyl says the arrests show the value of quick police action, good investigations and cooperation between communities and law enforcement. He called for continued community involvement in reporting crime and supporting police investigations

# The US National Transportation Safety Board says it has found initial evidence suggesting the aircraft that crashed in Florida could have begun breaking up in mid-air before nose-diving and exploding. Nine people on board the Learjet 60, which was travelling from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, died in Sunday’s crash. A tech entrepreneur and his young family, as well as the 20-year-old copilot, were among those who died. NTSB member Tom Chapman says weather conditions could have also played a part in the crash:

# Motorsport: George Russell has admitted that his struggles during the 2026 Formula One season have been incredibly difficult to navigate. The Mercedes driver posted a candid statement on social media on Monday, less than 24 hours after his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, secured his maiden Drivers’ Championship title at Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix. Russell, who has won three races this year compared to Antonelli’s nine, says that while picking himself up week after week has been a challenge, he knows he has given his absolute best to the team.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-61-cents and the euro at 18-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-27-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-752-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-926-dollars-04-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 108-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….