News 06:00

BULLETIN 11 November 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA says the latest job numbers make stable local government more urgent
# Chery and Omoda recall more than 23-thousand vehicles over safety concerns
# And swimming: Tatjana Smith will in future compete under the Dutch flag

# The DA says South Africa’s latest jobs numbers are another reminder of the enormous task at hand, and the importance of the outcome of last week’s local government elections. The official unemployment rate ticked up by 0.1 percentage point to 33.7-percent in the third quarter of this year. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed people has reached 8.6-million. The DA’s national spokesperson, Jan de Villiers, says that compared with a year ago, the country has 215-thousand fewer people in employment:

# The Electoral Commission has ordered a fresh vote in ward three of the Siyancuma Local Municipality in the Northern Cape after more than 100 ballot papers were destroyed when a counting centre was stormed. The vote will take place on 18 November at Bongani Community Hall, from 7 am until 9 pm. Only voters registered in the affected voting district may vote. Special votes will take place on 17 November, and applications close on 14 November. 

# The National Consumer Commission has announced the recall of more than 23-thousand-600 Chery and Omoda vehicles because of safety defects. The recall affects the Chery Tiggo 4, Tiggo 8 Pro Max and Omoda C5 models. The commission’s Phetho Ntaba says the defects could cause rear suspension failure in some vehicles, while a problem with the brake pipes in certain Tiggo 8 Pro Max models could lead to brake-fluid leaks and reduced braking ability: 

# South Africa marks Disability Rights Awareness Month from 3 November to 3 December. Gauteng Health is strengthening rehabilitation services and access to devices. Under the theme Creating Multi-Sectoral Partnerships for a Disability-Inclusive Society, the department issued 51-thousand-866 prostheses, orthoses and walking aids in 2025/26, up 23-percent from 42-thousand-258. Spokesperson Steve Mabona says services are provided through four centres and sites, plus decentralised orthotic services at 20 hospitals.

# Russian, Ukrainian and US officials on Tuesday ended the first day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi with no breakthrough, with negotiations due to resume today. The negotiations are the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv since February. Territory remains the main obstacle. Russia wants control of the entire Donbas region, while Ukraine refuses to surrender land it still holds. Washington is also pushing for security guarantees for Ukraine, but Moscow opposes direct involvement by European countries.

# Swimming: South Africa’s most decorated Olympian, Tatjana Smith, has officially switched sporting allegiance to the Netherlands following World Aquatics’ approval. The four-time Olympic medallist, who came out of retirement in September after a two-year hiatus, holds both South African and Dutch citizenship. Her first event under the Dutch colours will be the World Short Course Championships in Beijing in December. Smith says this is an opportunity to explore a new direction in her sporting career ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-50-cents and the euro at 18-rand-43-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-3-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-628-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-31-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….