News 11:00

BULLETIN 14 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says optimism for the work of the government of national unity is encouraging
# BOSA is concerned by the bloated staffing in ministers’ private offices
# And Israeli air strikes kill at least 13 children in Gaza

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africans are increasingly rallying around the work of the government of national unity. An Ipsos poll shows four out of ten people surveyed believe that the country is on the right track, compared with 20-percent in April. They are encouraged by the formation of a business-friendly coalition government and more than six months of no load-shedding. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says a firm foundation is being laid, growth prospects are being revised upwards, and the country is heading in the right direction. 

# Build One South Africa has expressed concern about the size, cost, and bloated staffing of ministers’ private offices. The party says salaries to staff in private offices of just 18 ministers cost the public purse at least 230-million-rand per year. BOSA’s spokesperson, Roger Solomons, says the minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth, in a department tasked with addressing unemployment, maintains 23 staff members, costing 17.8-million-rand annually:

# The DA in Tshwane says the two seats given to the EFF in mayor Nasiphi Moya’s mayoral committee are bad news for clean administration and a pro-growth agenda. The multi-party mayoral committee includes five ANC members, two EFF and ActionSA members and one from the GOOD Party. Former Tshwane mayor, Cilliers Brink, says one of the new EFF members of the committee is Obakeng Ramabodu, notorious for violent and racist outbursts:

# Israeli bombardments in Gaza killed at least 41 people, including 13 children. Five of the children were killed by a drone strike while playing on a street corner in northern Gaza. This comes as the Israeli Defence Forces renewed its evacuation orders for Palestinians still living in the decimated northern half of Gaza at the weekend. Over the past nine days, Israeli bombardments on Gaza’s biggest refugee camp, Jabalya, has killed at least 300 people.

# Cricket: Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardene has been reappointed as the Mumbai Indians’ head coach, after previously holding the position from 2017 to 2022. He replaces former South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who had a two-year stint as head coach of the five-time Indian Premier League champions. Under Boucher, Mumbai made the playoffs last year, but this year they finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in 14 games. Jayawardene says he is looking forward to this exciting challenge.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-44-cents and the euro at 19-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-79-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-79-dollars-86-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-663-dollars-84-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….