News 12:00

BULLETIN 15 November 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The JSE fines Cyril Ramaphosa’s former advisor over her fake PhD
# The Automobile Association predicts a slight reduction in petrol prices in December
# And Rassie Erasmus explains why he reverted back to a 5-3 split for the England clash

# The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has fined president Cyril Ramaphosa’s former advisor, Thabi Leoka, for misrepresenting her qualifications. This comes after she failed to prove the authenticity of her claimed PhD from the London School of Economics. Leoka, who served on the boards of Remgro, Anglo American Platinum and MTN, and was part of Ramaphosa’s economic council, has incurred a 500-thousand-rand penalty and public censure. She has also been disqualified from holding the office of a director or official of a company listed on the JSE for five years.

# The Automobile Association says South African motorists can expect a mixed bag of fuel price adjustments in December. The AA’s spokesperson, Eleanor Mavimbela, says current unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund indicates a reduction in petrol prices, and more substantial increases to diesel and illuminating paraffin prices. She says based on the data, the price of unleaded 95 octane petrol is expected to reduce by approximately five-cent-per-litre, while unleaded 93 is set for a reduction of approximately 16-cents-per-litre:

# Government is urging communities to work with law enforcement agencies as part of the national effort to stamp out the scourge of illicit mining. Around four-thousand illegal miners are refusing to resurface from a disused mineshaft at Stilfontein in North West. Government says illicit mining is a criminal activity that is in contravention of South Africa’s laws and forms part of many economic-related crimes. It adds that the safety and security of the country is imperative.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says the return to the traditional split of five forwards and three backs on the bench, is a response to the challenge he expects England to pose at Twickenham tomorrow. South Africa’s starting 15 against England shows 12 changes to the team which defeated Scotland last weekend. Only Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nché and Bongi Mbonambi remain. Erasmus says he is happy with the quality of depth throughout the team:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-11-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-688-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-565-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Miss South Africa, Mia le Roux, has been forced to withdraw from the Miss Universe competition due to health concerns. She says making this decision has been incredibly challenging, knowing the dreams and hopes that have been placed upon her. The Miss South Africa Organisation says Le Roux has shown incredible courage and grace throughout this difficult period, adding that her health and well-being are the utmost priority. Miss Universe will be held in Mexico City this weekend.

Stay tuned for more news………….