News 15:00

BULLETIN 18 November 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Dean Macpherson calls for a joint effort to eradicate pit toilets
# Cape Town is to oppose Eskom’s 44-percent price hike application at the Nersa public hearings today
# And rugby: Four Springboks are nominated for the World Rugby Awards

# Public Works minister Dean Macpherson has urged collaboration to eliminate pit toilets in schools by next year. He was speaking at Deda Primary School in KwaZulu-Natal during the handover of upgraded toilets, and was accompanied by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube. Macpherson emphasised to the SABC the need for government and the private sector to unite. He has requested his department’s involvement to fast-track this critical initiative:

# The City of Cape will make oral and written submissions at the National Energy Regulator hearings in Cape Town today and tomorrow on Eskom’s 44-percent price hike multi-year price determination. The Metro has been advocating against the price increase on behalf of residents. Mayoral committee member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, says it is unaffordable, unfair and disconnected from the financial reality that households, businesses and economy faces: 

# The Southern African Development Community has expressed concern over the ongoing security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A summit in Harare, Zimbabwe, is underway in efforts to find solutions to the issues. Sadec executive secretary Elias Magosi highlighted urgent interventions that are underway to help avert a humanitarian crisis in the region:

# Rugby: Four Springbok players have been nominated for the World Rugby Awards. South Africa’s most capped player, Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit will come up against Caelan Doris of Ireland for Men’s 15s Player of the Year when the winners are announced in Monaco this coming Sunday. Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu has a chance to win the Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year award. The others nominated in that category are Jamie Osborn of Ireland, Wallace Sititi of New Zealand and Immanuel Feyi-Wabaso of England.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-9-cents and the euro at 19-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-109-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-592-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The late music legend Quincy Jones and veteran casting director Juliet Taylor were honoured with the Academy Honour Awards at the 15th annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles. The event is a staple in the awards season and is regarded as the Motion Picture Academy’s second-biggest night of the year, after the Oscars. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award went to British writer-director, Richard Curtis, while the Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award went to James Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Stay tuned for more news………….