News 16:00

BULLETIN 30 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa vows justice for the victims of the Lusikisiki mass shooting
# MEC Lebogang Maile says Gauteng’s e-toll debt payment won’t affect the service delivery budget
# And road running: The Chicago Marathon plans to honour the late record-holder Kelvin Kiptum

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says justice will be served following Friday’s mass shooting in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape which claimed the lives of 18 people, mostly women. The victims were preparing to attend a tombstone unveiling for two relatives murdered last year. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Mangwenya, says the president extended his condolences to the victims’ families, and gave the assurance police have deployed specialist detectives and forensic experts to investigate:

# Gauteng Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile has assured the payment of e-toll debt won’t compromise service delivery. His department will pay the first installment of over three-billion-rand towards the 12-billion-rand e-toll debt owed to the South African National Roads Agency. Maile emphasised essential services like education, school transport, and health will remain unaffected:

# The MK Party says it firmly opposes the ongoing escalation of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. The party’s Wesley Douglas says the recent changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, as announced by president Vladimir Putin, mark a dangerous shift in global security dynamics. He says these changes lower the threshold for Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons, particularly in response to any conventional attack by non-nuclear states supported by nuclear powers, such as NATO’s involvement in Ukraine:

# Road running: The Chicago Marathon plans to honour the late Kenyan marathon runner Kelvin Kiptum at next month’s race on 13 October, a year after he smashed the men’s world record. Kiptum was only 23 when he ran in two hours and 35 seconds. He died in a car accident four months later, cutting short his promising career. There will be a moment of silence at the starting line to honour Kiptum and a brief exhibit celebrating his career at the pre-race expo, with memorial stickers for all participants.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-16-cents and the euro at 19-rand-21-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-824-dollars-65-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-641-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Amazon has introduced ‘Shop Mzansi’, a new storefront showcasing over 160 local brands, celebrating South Africa’s diverse culture. The platform features thousands of products across categories like toys, kitchen appliances, and beauty. Amazon sub-Saharan Africa managing director, Robert Koen, highlights the initiative’s role in supporting small businesses and promoting entrepreneurship. He says this initiative also aims to help local businesses access global Amazon stores.

Stay tuned for more news………….