News 06:00

BULLETIN 7 October 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cosatu calls on workers to join the National Day of Action
# Three suspects to appear in court today in connection with the Lusikisiki massacre
# And today marks the first anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attacks

# The Congress of South African Trade Unions urges workers to participate in a National Day of Action today, protesting against economic hardships, unemployment, and inequality. The strike coincides with the World Day of Decent Work. General secretary Solly Phetoe says the federation is demanding an end to retrenchments and action against corruption, high living costs, and gender-based violence:

Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers fully supports Cosatu’s nationwide strike today. NUM demands urgent government action on rising unemployment, austerity measures, and corruption. The union also condemns SERITI Resources’ plan to retrench one-thousand-143 workers, accusing the company of replacing skilled employees with contractors for profit. NUM calls for fair treatment and respect for collective bargaining rights.

# The DA has referred Busisiwe Mkhwebane to the Parliamentary Ethics Committee for allegedly violating the Code of Ethics for members. DA chief whip George Michalakis cited a social media post by Mkhwebane on X, accusing individuals of Indian descent and parliamentary staff of racism and misconduct. Michalakis claims her comments undermine public confidence in Parliament. The party will submit an affidavit requesting an investigation and possible sanctions against Mkhwebane.

# Police minister Senzo Mchunu has confirmed that three people have been arrested in connection with the Lusikisiki massacre in the Eastern Cape last Saturday. The trio are described as persons of interest. Unknown gunmen killed eighteen people including 15 women in two separate homes. A two-month-old boy was the only survivor of the massacre. Addressing the media after a memorial service for the victims yesterday, Mchunu said the three will appear in court today:

# Today marks the first anniversary of the seventh October Hamas attacks, where one-thousand-200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel has intensified its war of retaliation in different arenas in the Middle East, including bombings, raids, and fresh mass evacuation orders in southern Lebanon and Gaza. In Israel’s campaign in Gaza, at least 41-thousand-870 Palestinians have been killed. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, more than one-thousand-400 people have been killed by Israeli strikes. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that his country will emerge victorious.

# Motorsport: Reigning world champion, Francesco Bagnaia, won the Japanese MotoGP, earning his eighth victory of the season. Current championship leader Jorge Martin had to settle for second after starting in eleventh place while six-time world champion Marc Marquez finished third. The championship battle is heating up with the gap between Martin and Bagnaia now down to just ten points. South Africa’s Brad Binder finished sixth. Bagnaia says this was a perfect race for him:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-44-cents and the euro at 19-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-702-dollar-72-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-651-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-55-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….