News 18:00

BULLETIN 4 October 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The case against the former Steinhoff director Stephanus Grobler is postponed for further investigations
# Retired Chief Justice Zondo flags gaps in South Africa’s labour laws
# And soccer: Safety and security measures are in place for the hosting of the MTN8 Cup Final in Durban

# The case against former Steinhoff director Stephanus Grobler has been postponed to 14 February next year by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. The state requested more time to complete investigations. Grobler, out on 150-thousand-rand bail, faces charges including racketeering, fraud worth 21-billion-rand and financial statement manipulation between 2014 and 2016. His appearance comes after former Steinhoff chief financial official, Ben la Grange, was sentenced to five years in prison after a plea deal with the state.

# Retired Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has flagged gaps in the country’s labour laws. This while reviewing the evolution of South Africa’s labour laws at a Stellenbosch University colloquium. The event was attended by judges, professors, and students who discussed the development and challenges of labour law in the country. Zondo emphasised the importance of protecting employees’ rights against unfair dismissal:

# Iran’s supreme leader vowed in a rare address today that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country’s missile strike on its arch-enemy. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s address in Tehran was the first since Iran launched its second ever attack on Israel, and also the first since exchanges of fire pitting Hezbollah fighters against Israeli troops escalated into full-blown war in Lebanon. Khamenei praised Hezbollah, saying that it was providing a vital service to the entire region and the entire Islamic world.

# A technical problem at Germany’s air traffic control agency caused disruptions today, with some flights cancelled at the country’s biggest airport in Frankfurt. The air traffic control company says the problem affected flight plans and weather data. It was resolved by 10:30 this morning, but caused delays of varying severity across the country. Frankfurt Airport warned on its website that flight delays and cancellations could be expected throughout the day. The country’s biggest airline, Lufthansa, says there were a few cancellations and delays, but long-haul services weren’t affected.

# Soccer: KwaZulu-Natal police have put appropriate safety and security measures in place to ensure the successful hosting of tomorrow’s MTN8 Cup Final match between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch in Durban. Spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says over 50-thousand people are expected to fill up the Moses Mabhida stadium. He says accommodation as well as entertainment facilities in the city are also expected to experience an influx of visitors and patrons:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-400-dollars-52-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-651-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….