News 17:00

BULLETIN 10 October 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Julius Malema urges Parliament to pass the EFF’s private member’s bill on the Reserve Bank
# Everest Wealth says inflation erodes the middle class and their medical care
# And soccer: Bafana Bafana hopes to continue their good start to the Afcon qualifiers against Congo tomorrow

# EFF leader Julius Malema has urged Parliament to pass the party’s private member’s bill which seeks to nationalise the South African Reserve Bank. Malema argues that transferring the central bank’s ownership from private hands to the state would align monetary policies with the developmental needs of the majority, noting that most central banks globally are state-owned:

# Everest Wealth has highlighted that the cost of living crisis, driven by inflation and high medical aid premiums, erodes the middle class’s ability to afford good health care. CEO Thys van Zyl points out that the actual inflation rate for essentials is often double the official rate, making the middle class poorer. He warns that rising medical premiums and reduced benefits are forcing difficult choices between health care and essential expenses.

# Russian missiles have hit a civilian container ship at a port in Ukraine’s Odesa region, killing eight people. Officials say it is the third attack on a civilian vessel in the past four days. The wave of strikes on Black Sea ports coincided with a European tour by president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting leaders in London, Paris and Rome. Zelensky had been due to meet US president Joe Biden along with other Western allies in Berlin on Saturday, but Biden cancelled his trip because of the threat to the US from Hurricane Milton.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana hopes to continue their good start to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 qualifiers when they take on Congo in Gqeberha tomorrow night. South Africa played to a 2-all draw to Uganda in their first match and followed that up with a 3-2 victory over South Sudan. Bafana is currently tied with Uganda on top of Group K, with Congo just one point behind. Captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams returns for South Africa. Kick-off at the Nelson Mandela Stadium is at 7pm.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-54-cents and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-46-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-619-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-51-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South Korean author Han Kang has won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life. The prize money is over 19-million-rand and she will be presented with a medal on 10 December alongside other winners. The Nobel committee’s Anders Olsson says Kang, known for books like The Vegetarian and Human Acts, has gained global recognition: 

Stay tuned for more news………….