News 17:00

BULLETIN 16 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Solidarity declares a formal dispute with government over mass retrenchments
# Rugby: Jaques Nienaber is lost to the Springboks until at least 2027
# And former Hollywood heartthrob Robert Redford dies at 89

# Trade union Solidarity has declared a formal dispute with government at the National Economic Development and Labour Council over mass retrenchments, citing poor infrastructure, power instability, and policy failures. The union says about 350-thousand jobs are already affected, with more at risk in coming months. Solidarity accuses president Cyril Ramaphosa of ignoring repeated warnings and proposals. Spokesperson Dirk Hermann says a formal mediation is required to protect jobs:

# The National Minimum Wage Commission is urging the public and stakeholders to have their say on possible adjustments to the minimum wage for 2026 by Thursday. The current rate is 28-rand-79-cents per hour. The Department of Employment and Labour’s spokesperson, Teboho Thejane, says submissions can be emailed, uploaded online, or sent by post, encouraging citizens to complete an online survey:

# The Department of Defence has admitted spending nearly 110-million-rand leasing the St George’s Hotel in Pretoria. Defence and Military Veterans minister Angie Motshekga revealed the figures in response to a parliamentary question, blaming the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for failing to provide suitable state-owned facilities. According to News24, the hotel housed the National War College and Defence College between 2022 and last year. The DA has called for an investigation, while ActionSA criticised Motshekga and her deputies for spending more than 20-million-rand on overseas trips.

# Rugby: World Cup-winning coach Jaques Nienaber will stay with Irish side Leinster until 2027, nipping speculation in the bud he might return to the Springboks to re-join old friend Rassie Erasmus. Nienaber coached South Africa to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2023, whereafter he returned to Ireland where he coached before. Leinster clinched the United Rugby Championship title last season. The team also confirmed the appointment of former player Emmet Farrell as kicking coach.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-36-cents and the euro at 20-rand-52-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 115-thousand-530-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-692-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

# And we end on a sad note: Former Hollywood heartthrob Robert Redford has died at the age of 89. His publicist, Cindi Berger, told CNN he passed away at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah, surrounded by those he loved. Known for his starring roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men, Redford also directed award-winning films such as Ordinary People and A River Runs Through It. He was also a dedicated environmentalist and led efforts to preserve the natural landscape of Utah and the American West.

Stay tuned for more news………….