News 09:00

BULLETIN 7 November 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC might lose its outright majority in Mangaung
# Buti Manamela highlights green hydrogen as part of South Africa’s transition towards cleaner energy
# And, Russell Brand’s advocate reports himself after a courtroom confrontation with a journalist

# No political party has secured an outright majority yet in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State following the 2026 Local Government Elections. The Electoral Commission results now showing the ANC leading with 36 seats, followed by the DA with 33 seats. The EFF has secured nine seats, while the Freedom Front Plus has six and the Patriotic Alliance four. With 101 seats in the council, a party needs at least 51 seats to secure an outright majority. In the 2021 Local Government Elections, the ANC won 51 seats and secured a majority in the municipality.

# The Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela says South Africa must find ways to reduce carbon emissions while continuing to meet the country’s energy and development needs. Speaking at the launch of the Green Hydrogen Centre of Specialisation at North-West University, Manamela identified green hydrogen as one of the alternatives being explored to support the country’s energy transition. He explained that hydrogen can be produced by using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen:

# Police have intensified efforts to dismantle an alleged fraud syndicate following the arrest of a 37-year-old man and the recovery of goods worth more than 432-thousand-rand in Kensington, in the Western Cape. The arrest follows an intensive investigation into several fraud cases reported in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Gauteng. Police spokesperson, Ndakhe Gwala says the syndicate allegedly targeted hardware stores, using fraudulent identification documents to purchase goods on credit before reselling them on the black market:

# The senior advocate representing British comedian Russell Brand has reported himself to the professional watchdog after a heated confrontation with a journalist following Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault. Ian Winter confronted Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin outside court on Thursday, telling her he hoped she was pleased with the verdict. She replied that she was pleased justice had been done, prompting Winter to accuse her of having undermined the case. He has referred the incident to the Bar Standards Board for scrutiny.

# Rugby: England were given a boost as Fin Smith was passed fit to start at fly-half in their Nations Championship opener against Australia at Twickenham tomorrow after overcoming a calf problem. Coach Steve Borthwick has made four changes to the starting side that defeated Argentina 31-24 in July. George Furbank comes in at full-back and flanker Ben Curry returns to test duty after an injury 16 months. Fin Baxter starts at loosehead prop replacing Ellis Genge, who drops to the bench, with second row Maro Itoje returning to captain the team.

# And, a first-of-its-kind leadership programme has been launched in Mpumalanga to improve the management of eight provincial nature reserves. The six-month programme will provide reserve managers with practical coaching and mentoring to strengthen their leadership and decision-making skills. The participating reserves include Blyde River Canyon, Manyeleti and Loskop Dam. The Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency says the initiative aims to improve conservation efforts, strengthen accountability and better protect threatened and endangered wildlife.

Stay tuned for more news………….