News 06:00

BULLETIN 23 September 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says the ANC must stay on course in its renewal agenda
# The Defence Force is assisting with relief efforts in KwaZulu-Natal
# And Hezbollah says its conflict with Israel is now an open-ended battle of reckoning

# ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says the only meaningful way to honour Pravin Gordhan’s legacy is to stay on course with the party’s renewal. He delivered the keynote address at the commemoration of the life and activism of the former Public Enterprises minister, who passed away on the 13th of this month. The event was hosted by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. Mbalula says the ANC needs to be relentless in its fight against counter-revolution that seeks to destroy the movement:

# The ATM is calling on the Department of Health and all relevant stakeholders to act swiftly and decisively to address the crisis of over three-thousand-186 unclaimed bodies across the country. The party’s spokesperson Zama Ntshona says unclaimed bodies represent not only a humanitarian crisis but also a public health concern. He adds the factors contributing to the situation, as identified by the department, including community-related issues, municipal challenges and delays in DNA processing, must be addressed comprehensively:

# KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, says the South African National Defence Force has assisted with relief efforts. Several motorists and commuters were stranded on the N3 highway after being blocked by heavy snowfall. He says authorities have successfully accounted for all passengers who were stranded on the highway. Two people died after being trapped in snow on the highway. Buthelezi has urged residents to be safe:

# The police have launched an investigation and a wide-scale search following the disappearance of a 23-year-old trainee who is currently undergoing a nine-month Basic Police Learning Development Programme at the SAPS Tshwane Academy in Pretoria. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says Tristan Chowles was admitted at a hospital in Pretoria on Wednesday and was discharged on Thursday. She says the circumstances surrounding his disappearance are currently under investigation and police have since mobilised maximum resources to find Chowles.

# Militant group Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Naim Qassem, says its conflict with Israel has now become an open-ended battle of reckoning. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified over the weekend, with both sides carrying out large cross-border strikes. Last week, hundreds were injured and dozens killed in coordinated attacks targeting Hezbollah fighters, caused by the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies they were carrying. Qassem says Israel has committed war crimes and therefore a battle without limits has begun.

# Golf: American Billy Horschel won a three-way play-off against Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence to win the PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in England. All three entered a three-way play-off after ending their final rounds on 20 under par. However, Lawrence exited the play-off with a bogey on the first hole. Horschel, who made an eagle on the second playoff hole to win the championship for the second time in three years, says he is speechless:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-333-dollars-38-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-619-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….