News 07:00
BULLETIN 5 November 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The government is coordinating investigations into the outbreak of food-borne illnesses
# Business Leadership SA calls for a clearer competition policy
# And the families of the detained engineers protest at the Africa Energy Week
# Government says it is coordinating comprehensive investigations into the outbreak of foodborne illnesses in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape. Last week, Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed that organophosphates, chemicals found in pesticides, were responsible for the deaths of six children in Soweto last month. They allegedly shared a packet of chips they had bought from a local spaza shop. Government’s Gavin Sadler says they are engaging in a public education and awareness campaign focusing on food safety:
Meanwhile, the South African National Christian Forum is urging government to declare a state of emergency and temporarily close all spaza shops to safeguard children and save lives amid the food contamination crisis. They are demanding a new licensing process to ensure stricter checks, especially for undocumented shop owners. The forum’s president Marothi Mashashane criticised the government’s lack of proactive measures, stating that it tends to take action only after tragedies have occurred:
# Business Leadership South Africa is calling for a clearer competition policy after the Competition Tribunal blocked Vodacom’s 14-billion-rand deal to buy into Maziv, Vumatel’s parent company. BLSA warns that the decision could harm the telecom sector and delay a planned ten-billion-rand investment in fibre networks for underserved areas. While the organisation supports inclusive growth, it argues that competition rules should focus on fostering genuine competition and attracting investment for the benefit of consumers and the economy.
# The EFF in Gauteng has cautiously welcomed the outcomes of the provincial Department of Education’s investigation into racism allegations at Pretoria High School for Girls. In July, claims of racism in a WhatsApp group saw 12 pupils, including prefects, being suspended, however, they were later cleared. The probe found principal Phillipa Erasmus and her deputy principal guilty of misconduct, including their failure to address longstanding complaints and bullying. The EFF’s, Dumisani Baleni, says they have a zero tolerance for racism:
# The families of two South African engineers detained in Equatorial Guinea on drug charges since February 2023, Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham, will hold a peaceful protest at the Africa Energy Week in Cape Town. They are appealing to Equatorial Guinea’s representatives attending the event for clemency, while urging South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation minister Ronald Lamola to secure their release. The UN has deemed their detention unlawful, and families are calling for urgent diplomatic intervention from Parliament.
# Cricket: The ICC Women’s ODI Championship has been expanded to eleven teams, with Zimbabwe becoming the latest entrants. This follows the addition of Bangladesh and Ireland leading up to next year’s ODI World Cup in India in October. Zimbabwe’s inclusion means all of the ICC’s full members except Afghanistan, which doesn’t field a women’s team, are part of the championship. With the expansion of the Women’s Championship, each country will play four teams at home and four away over a three-year cycle.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-958-dollar-20-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-734-dollars-25-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-92-cents a barrel.
Stay tuned for more news………….