News 16:00

BULLETIN 29 November 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Home Affairs extends the Zimbabwean exemption permits’ validity with another year
# SADTU condemns the BELA Act agreement as an attack on transformation
# And motorsport: Another senior official joins the exodus from FIA

# Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber has extended the Zimbabwean exemption permit’s validity to 28 November next year. The announcement, made in the Government Gazette today, follows the Gauteng High Court’s directive to consult ZEP holders and stakeholders about the permit’s future. The extension averts today’s deadline, allowing affected individuals additional time. The ZEP programme has sparked widespread debate over its implications for Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa.

# Teachers’ union Sadtu has strongly rejected the bilateral agreement on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act reached between Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube, Solidarity, and AfriForum at Nedlac. The union is committed to challenging the agreement and calls for the full implementation of the act by 13 December. Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi accuses Gwarube of excluding the largest teachers’ union while engaging with non-representative groups:

# The DA has welcomed minister Parks Tau’s decision to appeal the Competition Tribunal’s ruling blocking Vodacom’s acquisition of a stake in Maziv. This move offers an opportunity to reform South Africa’s competition policy to better support investment and developmental goals. The 14–to-17-billion-rand partnership promised fibre expansion, affordable internet, and up to 10-thousand jobs, benefiting underserved communities. The DA’s Mlondi Mdluli proposes balancing competition with inclusivity:

# Motorsport: Another senior official has left the employ of governing body, the F-I-A – bringing the tally to four in the past two weeks. The latest casualty is senior steward Tim Mayer, who was fired after 15 years. This follows the departure of deputy Formula Two race director Janette Tan, and the dismissals of two other officials. Mayer says he couldn’t believe the body didn’t do everything in its power to retain Tan, who he describes as the best of the next generation of race directors.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-4-cents and the euro at 19-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-505-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-660-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally: An Australian teenage news boss says legislation barring under-16s from social media is a really bad idea that will stifle young people’s creativity. Seventeen-year-old Leo Puglisi founded what claims to be the only national news streaming platform run by teens. Based in his bedroom at his parent’s house in Melbourne, Puglisi began uploading local news videos to YouTube channel 6 News in 2019. He now has ten reporters aged between 15 and their late teens, with 29-thousand-600 subscribers and 40-thousand-700 more on X.

Stay tuned for more news………….