News 16:00

BULLETIN 12 November 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Ronald Lamola condemns the misinformation about South Africa’s International Court of Justice case against Israel
# Unemployment is down to 32.1-percent in the third quarter of 2024
# And motorsport: KitKat becomes Formula One’s official chocolate bar

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, condemned false information about South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The case, which concerns Israel’s alleged violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza, seeks to hold the country accountable for actions including mass killings. Lamola told the media the misinformation tries to distract from the ongoing violence in Gaza and that Israel must be held accountable under international law:

# The official unemployment rate decreased by 1.4-percentage points from 33.5-percent in the second quarter to 32.1-percent in the third quarter of this year. According to Statistics SA’s quarterly labour force survey there was an increase of 294-thousand in the number of employed people and a decrease of 373-thousand in the number of unemployed. The not economically active population increased to 16.5-million. The expanded unemployment rate in the third quarter decreased by 0.7 of a percentage point to 41.9-percent. This number includes people who have stopped looking for a job.

# Government is urging all citizens to use water sparingly as the country’s water resources are under severe pressure due to a growing population, the effect of global warming and water leaks. Spokesperson Nomonde Mnukwa says saving water is not a good habit but a necessity. Households and businesses are encouraged to implement water-wise measures. Mnukwa says a dripping tap can waste up to 15-liters of water per day.

# Cosatu has expressed shock as matric exam paper printing costs increased from just under one-billion-rand to 3.6-billion-rand under Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube. Spokesperson Zanele Sabela says the decision to allow provinces to choose their printers led to this massive increase, with Limpopo’s costs alone rising over 130-percent. She has criticised Gwarube for her handling of funding amid a budget crisis, calling for accountability and highlighting the impact on teachers facing job cuts:

# Motorsport: Formula One and Swiss chocolate maker Nestlé has announced a partnership which will see KitKat becoming the sport’s official chocolate bar. It will start in the next season, when KitKat celebrates its 90th anniversary, and F1 its 75th. The iconic slogan “Have a break, have a KitKat” will be introduced to show the importance of taking a moment to pause. F1’s chief commercial official, Emily Prazer, says they are delighted to have such a globally recognised and fun brand as KitKat joining them as a partner.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-6-cents and the euro at 19-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-649-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-602-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….