News 08:00

BULLETIN 25 Novembr 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC says the tripartite alliance must be protected
# The SANDF ends its 2.6-billion-rand Cuban medical training programme
# And City Power extends the grace period for electricity meters

# The ANC has stressed the importance of the tripartite alliance in accelerating transformation in providing basic services and economic growth. The party and the SACP had a bilateral meeting at Luthuli House yesterday. Next month, The SACP will review its decades-long relationship with the ANC at its fifth special national congress, over concerns that the partnership has undermined its political independence and diluted its influence. ANC spokesperson, Mahlengi Bengu-Motsiri, says the alliance must be protected:

# The South African National Defence Force has decided to end its costly Cuban medical training programme, Project Thusano, which has already cost taxpayers 2.6-billion-rand. The decision follows reviews prompted by former Defence minister Thandi Modise. While students currently in Cuba will finish their courses, no new medical students will be sent. The programme faced criticism for irregular expenditure and ineffective training, with reports of wasted funds on unnecessary services and unregistered medicines.

# City Power has extended its grace period on penalty fees for non-vending meters to the 30th of this month. This comes as Eskom had extended the deadline to upgrade prepaid meters, but had still required customers to buy electricity tokens by Saturday to make their meters key revision number two compliant. City Power’s spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, says they have already pre-generated key change tokens for the outstanding non-vending customers, which would simplify converting prepaid meters:

# A ceasefire deal between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is reportedly very close. More than three-thousand people including Hezbollah leaders have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, since the uptick in hostilities in mid-September. As talks continued on Sunday, Hezbollah stepped up its attacks on Israel, firing more than 250 rockets and drones, wounding several people. A US-back proposal of a 60-day pause in fighting is currently under discussion, hoping this could form the basis of a lasting ceasefire.

# Golf: Pieter Moolman won the South African PGA Championship by one shot to secure his third Sunshine Tour title at the St Francis Links in the Eastern Cape. He has added his name to a trophy that already bears the names of Gary Player, Ernie Els, Nick Price, and Dale Hayes amongst others. Twenty-two-year-old Barend Botha finished second with Trevor Fisher Junior in third. Moolman says he is happy to have won after finishing second in 2021:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-5-cents and the euro at 18-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-733-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-673-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….