News 11:00

BULLETIN 12 September 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA leader says their victories in by-elections show people want competent governance
# Sadtu says the signing of the Bela Bill is long overdue
# And six staff members of the United Nations are killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza

# DA leader John Steenhuisen says the resounding success in yesterday’s by-elections highlights growth and the unwavering trust that South Africans are placing in the party’s ability to deliver clean, accountable governance. The DA contested 17 wards across the country and won 16 of them. In KwaZulu-Natal, the party won all by-elections it contested, including three wards in eThekwini. It also won in Limpopo, the Free State, and North West. Steenhuisen says they remain committed to bringing effective, service-driven governance to every corner of the country.

# The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union says it welcomes president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment into law tomorrow. The bill, which was passed in the National Assembly in May, aims to strengthen governance within the country’s education sector. Sadtu’s Xolani Fakude says they welcome the firm position the Bela Bill takes in making every parent accountable for their child’s education:

# Western Cape Serious and Violent Crime Unit detectives have launched a manhunt for gunmen who killed three men and seriously wounded five others in Nyanga, Cape Town. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut says four men armed with two rifles and two pistols approached the eight victims at a barbershop yesterday, where they shot and killed two people on the scene. He says six were admitted to hospital, and upon arrival, a third man succumbed to his injuries:

# United Nations Secretary-general António Guterres says what is happening in Gaza is unacceptable, and dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop immediately. An Israeli airstrike on a central Gaza school being used as a shelter for displaced Palestinians killed 18 people. Among those killed were six staff members of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA. The school was sheltering around 12-thousand displaced people, mainly women and children. Unrwa says this is the highest death toll among its staff in a single incident.

# Soccer: English giants Manchester United has suffered a net loss of 2.65-billion-rand in the first six months of 2024. This follows losses of 672-million-rand in the 2022/’23 financial year, and of 2.7-billion-rand the previous year. BBC Sport reports United is nevertheless not expected to breach the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, which would cause them to lose points. British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe last year bought a 27.7-percent stake in the club, while United recently announced the cutting of 250 jobs to slash costs.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-94-cents and the euro at 19-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-41-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-35-dollars-51-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-516-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….