News 13:00

BULLETIN 28 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A second suspect is arrested in the Bronkhorstpruit tavern shooting
# The Whistleblower Protection Draft Bill is to be released by year-end
# And soccer: Kevin de Bruyne could be out till next year with a hamstring injury

# The Gauteng Serious and Violent Crimes Uni and Bronkhorstpruit police have arrested a second suspect in the Bronkhorstpruit tavern shooting of 5 October, which left five people dead. Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says he was arrested in Zithobeni with an unlicensed firearm. He joins the first suspect, Xlani Xulu, who was arrested last Tuesday. Muridili says both remain in custody:

# Deputy Justice minister Andries Nel says the Whistleblower Protection Draft Bill will be released for public comment by the end of the year. Nel acknowledged the erosion of public trust caused by corruption, stressing that protecting whistleblowers is key to restoring state integrity. He says lessons from the Zondo commission showed that without whistleblowers, the truth about state capture would have remained hidden:

# Union federation Cosatu has pledged its support for the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions in rejecting attempts to extend president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office. The federation says attempts to alter the Constitution threaten democracy, good governance, and the rule of law. Cosatu’s Zanele Sabela says the struggle of Zimbabwean workers is linked to the broader fight for social justice, calling on leaders to respect democratic norms and protect constitutional gains:

# Soccer: Serie A leaders Napoli could be without Kevin de Bruyne until early next year after the Italian club confirmed he had suffered a hamstring injury. The former Manchester City midfielder was hurt while scoring a penalty in his team’s 3-1 home victory over Inter Milan on Saturday. After converting his spot kick, the 34-year-old Belgian froze and clutched his right thigh before limping off the field with the help of the club’s medical staff.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-27-cents and the euro at 20-rand-12-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-338-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-900-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South Africa’s renewable energy pipeline is expanding rapidly, with more than 220 gigawatts of solar, wind, battery, and hybrid projects under development. This is according to findings from the latest South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey conducted by the National Transmission Company of South Africa. Solar photovoltaic is the leading technology currently under development, comprising 121 gigawatts, followed by wind. NTCSA says the survey has become an important tool for identifying where and how the grid needs to grow to accommodate new renewable energy projects.

Stay tuned for more news………….