News 08:00

BULLETIN 6 November 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party suspends its deputy president John Hlophe, from all leadership roles
# The Solidarity Research Institute urges better tariff negotiations to protect jobs
# And a state of emergency is declared following a UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky

# MK Party deputy president and Parliamentary leader, John Hlophe, has been suspended from all positions in the party with immediate effect. This is pending a full investigation into his conduct. Hlophe’s suspension follows changes he made to the leadership in Parliament. His removal of Colleen Makhubele as chief whip has been reversed, and the appointment of Des Van Rooyen to the position is nullified. MK Party’s head of Presidency, Magasela Mzobe, told the SABC that the changes were made without wider consultation:

# The Solidarity Research Institute’s latest tariff barometer shows South African exports to the United States increased in September, largely due to gold, which is exempt from US tariffs. Economic researcher Theuns du Buisson warns that, excluding precious metals, exports remain low and volatile. He urges the South African government to negotiate better trade terms to stabilise exports, protect jobs, and support industries:

# The EFF in the Northern Cape says it condemns the lack of transparency around the resignation of Health MEC Maruping Lekwene. His resignation reportedly followed an investigation by the Health Ombudsman, which found his department responsible for two deaths. Premier Zamani Saul has appointed Agriculture MEC Mase Manopole as the acting Health MEC. The EFF says the lack of transparency around Lekwene’s resignation is a blatant display of disrespect for legislative oversight and accountability. It adds that the Health Department is too critical to be left in uncertainty.

# The death toll from the UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky has risen to eleven. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday evening. The National Transportation and Safety Board says the left engine caught fire and fell from the wing during take-off, causing a major fire. Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, says he has declared a state of emergency and mobilised the National Guard in an effort to free up resources quickly:

# Tennis: American Amanda Anisimova is through to the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh for the first time. In a winner-takes-all match, the 24-year-old defeated Iga Swiatek, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, knocking the Polish world number out of the tournament. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina completed a clean sweep of the Serena Williams Group with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, a late replacement for the unwell American Madison Keys. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka takes on American Coco Gauff today, with both players in contention for a semifinal place.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-37-cents and the euro at 20-rand. One British pound costs 22-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 103-thousand-676-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-986-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….