News 13:00

BULLETIN 13 November 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Government is concerned over the widespread pollution of rivers in Gauteng
# SA Canegrowers’ report shows the drier season cuts the sugarcane harvest by ten-percent
# And soccer: Banyana Banyana’s coach is to be inducted into the South African Hall of Fame

# Water and Sanitation deputy minister, Sello Seitlholo, says the state of municipalities’ wastewater treatment works has contributed hugely to the widespread pollution of water courses in Gauteng. Following the assessment of all municipal wastewater systems and the subsequent publication of the Green Drop Report in December last year, the state of wastewater treatment systems and the presence of sewage in the streets, rivers and dams have not markedly improved. Seitlholo says dams are being threatened by pollution from wastewater systems, overloaded systems, pump station failures and sewer leaks.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Front Plus says the Ekurhuleni Municipality is also a culprit contributing to the current water crisis in Gauteng. According to the metro’s latest Water and Sanitation Transformation Strategy, its infrastructure renewal rate for water networks is 0.05-percent per year. The FF Plus says to maintain a reliable water supply, the best practice for asset renewal, or upgrading, is an annual rate of between one and two-percent. It says just like the power crisis, the water crisis is yet another man-made problem.

# South Africa’s sugarcane harvest is expected to be ten-percent lower this season due to dry conditions. SA Canegrowers projects the total crop will fall below 17-million tons, down from the usual 18-million tons. While local demand for sugar will be met, exports will be lower. The organisation’s chairperson, Higgins Mdluli, believes diversifying into sustainable aviation fuels could help boost production and return to pre-sugar tax production levels:

# The Department of Basic Education has launched the Bana Pele ECD drive to regulate Early Childhood Development programmes. This comes as over 20-thousand centres, particularly in low-income areas, are reportedly unregistered. The initiative aims to improve oversight, safety, and funding access for children in these programmes. Spokesperson Terence Khala says thus far, the drive has registered 800 new centres in Gauteng, with three-thousand applications received and one-thousand-479 in review:

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis will be inducted into the South African Hall of Fame next Wednesday. She will be celebrated for her many achievements including leading the team to a historic Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022. Ellis will be honoured alongside the likes of former Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim Mashaba, and legends Neil Tovey and Lucas Radebe. She has expressed gratitude for the honour, calling it a blessing.

# And the financial indicators:  The dollar trades at 18-rand-4-cents and the euro at 19-rand-13-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-625-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-609-dollars-27-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….