News 16:00

BULLETIN 26 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Tshwane’s mayor is removed through a motion of no confidence
# Motorists can look forward to major fuel price cuts in October
# And cricket: The Protea allrounders hope to make an impact against Ireland

# The Tshwane metro council voted 120 to 87 in favour of a motion of no confidence in DA mayor Cilliers Brink. The ANC, EFF and ActionSA supported the motion while the DA and FF Plus voted against it.

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille warned earlier Brink’s removal could jeopardise the city’s recovery efforts. She argues that his leadership is crucial for growth and stability in the municipality. Zille believes his ousting would undermine the spirit of cooperation within the government of national unity, placing political agendas above the needs of the community:  

# Motorists can look forward to significant fuel savings next month, with projections indicating reductions for the fifth consecutive month. The Automobile Association predicts a drop of one-rand-13-cents per litre for 95-octane petrol and one-rand-five-cents for 93-octane. Diesel prices may decrease by one-rand-ten-cents to one-rand-12-cents per litre while illuminating paraffin could also see a reduction of one-rand-eight-cents per litre. AA spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela welcomes these anticipated decreases but urges government to review fuel pricing: 

# A friend of former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste, Gerhardus Burger, has pleaded guilty to insider trading after selling over 39-thousand Steinhoff shares before the company’s collapse. Arrested by the Hawks, the 89-year-old admitted to three counts of insider trading, receiving a five-year prison sentence, suspended for five years. In 2017, Jooste advised Burger via text message to sell his shares. The case follows the March arrest of former Steinhoff legal head Stéhan Grobler, who faces fraud and racketeering charges.

# Cricket: South Africa and Ireland face off in two T20s and three one-day internationals in the United Arab Emirates, with the opening T20 in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. The Proteas come off a historic 2-1 ODI series loss against Afghanistan and now shift their focus to the shortest format of the game. Patrick Kruger is one of several allrounders in the mix and says there is a healthy level of competition in the squad:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-522-dollars-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-678-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Crime analyst Willem Els says South African criminals have lost fear and respect for police, as shootouts between criminals and police members are on the rise across the country. Recent incidents in the Western and Eastern Cape have claimed seven lives. Els highlights the increasing boldness of criminals, noting that in the past, many would surrender when confronted by armed police. He says now they attempt to shoot their way out. Police officials also hesitate to use firearms, fearing legal consequences if they act improperly during confrontations.

Stay tuned for more news………….