News 12:00

BULLETIN 6 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Saftu welcomes SAMA’s suspension of relations with the Israeli Medical Association
# The boards of four Johannesburg entities are given a deadline to act on the Khampepe inquiry’s recommendations
# And the Huguenot Tunnel on the N1 in the Boland remains closed following a bus fire

# Union federation Saftu has welcomed the South African Medical Association’s decision to suspend its relations with the Israeli Medical Association. The association says this decision follows concerns about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the conduct of the IMA with regards to international medical ethics and humanitarian obligations. Saftu’s general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, says SAMA’s decision is historic and courageous:

# The City of Johannesburg has given the boards of four key entities until the end of October to present what action they have taken against accounting officials implicated by the Khampepe commission of inquiry. The entities are Joburg Property Company, PikitUp, City Power and Johannesburg Water. The inquiry investigated the Usindiso building, where 76 people died in a fire in 2023. Recommendations included that accounting officials at the entities submit to disciplinary processes where there is evidence of failure. The metro says it will take action against the entities.

# Western Cape authorities say the Huguenot Tunnel on the N1 in the Boland remains closed. This follows a bus fire just before midnight on Friday, which caused significant damage to the tunnel’s infrastructure. Thousands of daily travellers have been forced to seek alternative routes between Worcester and Paarl. The Western Cape Mobility Department’s acting director of Traffic Law Enforcement, Antoinette Fennie, says the tunnel cannot be reopened until structural assessments and repairs are completed:

# Motorsport: Newly-crowned MotoGP champion, Marc Marquez, suffered a suspected collarbone injury after crashing out of the Indonesian Grand Prix yesterday. Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi attempted a move up the inside of Marquez, but made contact with the Ducati rider’s rear wheel, sending both of them into the gravel. Rookie Fermin Aldeguer went on to win the race. The Spaniard, who won his record-equalling seventh MotoGP championship at the last round in Japan, says he will undergo further tests at home:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-30-cents and the euro at 20-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-23-cents and Bitcoin trades at 123-thousand-757-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-941-dollars-57-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-21-cent a barrel.

# And finally: Taylor Swift’s newest theatrical effort, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, topped the global box office charts over the weekend. The 89-minute cinematic experience offers fans behind-the-scenes footage of Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, fell to second place, with newcomer Dwayne Johnson’s R-rated sports drama Smashing Machine in third. DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, and New Line’s The Conjuring: Last Rites wrapped up the top five.

Stay tuned for more news………….