News 17:00

BULLETIN 27 November 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala denies any involvement in the Boshoga kidnapping case
# Solidarity says government failures risk major job losses before Christmas
# And rugby: South African franchises return to URC action this weekend

# Tendepreneur Vusimusi ‘Cat’ Matlala has denied any involvement in the 2024 kidnapping of Pretoria businessman Jerry Boshoga. Testifying to Parliament’s ad hoc committee from the Kgoši Mampuru Prison, Matlala says he only learned of the incident from Boshoga’s brother. Matlala confirmed meeting suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya, who was investigating the case. He denies links to drug dealings, despite admitting Boshoga was involved with narcotics:

# Trade union Solidarity says up to 800-thousand-rand jobs could be lost before Christmas and early next year if the government does not act quickly to save smelters, steel and manufacturing industries. The union states companies are warning of mass retrenchments due to high Eskom electricity prices, poor Transnet rail and port services, cheap steel imports and export tariffs. Solidarity’s Gideon du Plessis warns the situation is becoming a social crisis: 

# The United Nations Development Programme has unveiled its DIME initiative to modernise South Africa’s township economy using digital tools that strengthen food safety and business operations. The system integrates digital identity, stock management, traceability and e-payments. The first rollout in Gauteng equips spaza shops with software, and connectivity that allows them to collect and exchange data over the internet and links them to formal business registries. The programme boosts compliance, financial access and youth employment, positioning township retailers as a resilient, investable part of the economy.

# Pope Leo arrived in Turkey on his first trip outside Italy as leader of the Catholic Church. He is expected to make appeals for peace in the Middle East and urge unity among long-divided Christian churches. Foreign travel has become a major part of the modern papacy, with popes attracting international attention as they lead events with crowds sometimes in the millions, give foreign policy speeches, and conduct international diplomacy. Leo was elected by the world’s Catholic cardinals in May to succeed the late Pope Francis.

# Rugby: The United Rugby Championship resumes this weekend with South African franchises diving back into action. The headline fixture is the Jukskei derby, pitting the sixth-placed Bulls against the eighth-placed Lions in Pretoria at two o’clock Saturday afternoon. Top of the log Stormers face their toughest test yet, traveling to Limerick in Ireland to challenge unbeaten Munster at 7.30 that evening. Rounding out the fixtures, the 13th-placed Sharks continue their European tour with a tricky tie against another Irish team, Connacht, in Galway at 9:45.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-17-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-472-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-151-dollars-31-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….