News 12:00

BULLETIN 1 September 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA demands an urgent Defence Force security overhaul after the theft at Bloemspruit
# Six bodies are recovered from the Zonkizizwe River in Ekurhuleni
# And soccer: Bafana Bafana are focused on the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

# The DA is demanding an immediate, system-wide security overhaul of all South African National Defence Force installations at military bases. This follows the recent theft of ammunition from Bloemspruit Air Force Base in the Free State. The party wants Defence minister Angie Motshekga and the SANDF to appear before Parliament and table a funded base-security recovery plan. The DA’s Chris Hattingh says persistent cable theft at military bases has direct national security implications:

# The City of Ekurhuleni’s Emergency Services recovered six bodies from inside a car at the Zonkizizwe River last night. Spokesperson Tikkie MacDonald says they received a distress call about a motor vehicle accident on the R550. He says firefighters found the vehicle lying on its roof and submerged underwater:

# South Africa needs to strengthen its innovation ecosystems, special economic zones, and governance frameworks. This is according to Tshwane University of Technology professor Mashupye Maseremule. The zones contribute 30.973-billion-rand in investment and over 27-thousand permanent jobs. Maseremule says despite this, they often lack comprehensive performance evaluations, focusing primarily on outputs like job creation while neglecting costs, occupancy rates, and tenant contributions. He adds that these zones should be strategically located in regions with strong infrastructure and market access.

 # Soccer: Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says the squad is determined to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as they face Lesotho and Nigeria in next month’s first-round qualifiers. Broos highlighted challenges in squad selection due to injuries and club disagreements, but expressed confidence in younger players stepping up. He urged caution against underestimating Lesotho while preparing for Nigeria to secure South Africa’s World Cup ambitions:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-57-cents and the euro at 20-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-496-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-477-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

# And finally: MultiChoice has reinstated several of Leon Schuster’s classic films on DStv and Showmax after a five-year ban over racial sensitivity concerns. Movies, including Sweet-and-Short, There’s a Zulu on My Stoep, and You Must Be Joking, are back as part of a curated collection. MultiChoice was among many that reviewed their content following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in America in 2020. The pay-TV broadcaster says it will continue to review all content to ensure it aligns with set regulations.

Stay tuned for more news………….