News 15:00

BULLETIN 16 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA criticizes ActionSA’s exit from the Tshwane coalition
# A study finds the majority of SA teachers need crisis support amid rising stress levels
# And cricket: The Proteas Women are ready to take on Pakistan

# The DA has condemned ActionSA’s decision to leave the Tshwane coalition. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba cited mismanagement. He suggested ActionSA may explore new coalition opportunities or become an opposition party. DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp has called the move a betrayal, accusing Mashaba of aligning with anti-constitutional forces. He claims that this decision risks Tshwane’s future:

# A Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie and North-West University study has revealed that thousands of teachers surveyed need crisis hotlines, counseling, and mentorship programmes to cope with classroom stress. This follows revelations that 18 of 32 beds at a Gauteng wellness center were occupied by stressed teachers. The study indicates that additional duties and mental health struggles contribute to teacher burnout, with 56-percent seeking mental health interventions.

# Water and Sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina is calling on municipalities to be ready for the shutdown of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel in the next two weeks. The tunnel will undergo maintenance from the first of October until March next year. Majodina says there will be no water deliveries from Lesotho to South Africa and it is important for municipalities to ensure that water security measures are maintained:

# China has freed David Lin, an American pastor who had been in jail since 2006. The 68-year-old Lin was found guilty of contract fraud. Washington designated him wrongfully detained and had been urging Beijing to free him for years. Lin has been reunited with his family in Texas. China has detained several other US citizens, including businessman Kai Li, who was accused of spying in 2016 and Mark Swidan, in jail since 2012 on drug trafficking charges.

# Cricket: The Proteas Women will take on Pakistan today in Multan, in the first of three T20 matches. This series serves as important preparation for next month’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, where South Africa is grouped alongside West Indies, England, Scotland and Bangladesh. Captain Laura Wolvaardt says they are looking to improve on all fronts:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-65-cents and the euro at 19-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-29-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-790-dollars-54-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-580-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….