News 06:00

NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 15 November 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Government says it remains committed to creating a supportive labour market
# Stage 2 and 3 load-shedding has been implemented until further notice
# And, the US and the UK have sanctioned four senior Hamas leaders and two financiers

# Government says the slight but notable increase in employment and decrease in unemployment rates reflect concerted efforts to address the challenge of unemployment in the country. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey indicates that the number of employed people increased by 399-thousand to 16.7-million in the third quarter. The number of unemployed people decreased by 72-thousand to 7.8-million. Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says government will continue to implement policies that encourage investment, stimulate economic activity, and promote innovation, all of which contribute to sustained job creation.

# Meanwhile ActionSA is pushing for robust economic policies in a bid to tackle the persistent unemployment crisis as Statistics South Africa’s data reveals a 31.9-percent unemployment rate. The party proposes comprehensive measures like stabilizing the energy market, reducing union influence, and easing business regulations to stimulate job creation. Party leader Herman Mashaba advocates for government-secured loans to support small businesses and market liberalisation to combat power blackouts. He urges government to cut red tape for economic growth:

Play sound: ENG MashabaOnJobCreation

# Eskom has implemented stage two load-shedding from five this morning until four this afternoon, followed by stage three until five tomorrow morning. The power utility’s spokesperson Daphne Mokwena, says while some generating units have returned to service since Sunday, some are experiencing delays. She says due to these delays in returning the units back to service and the need to conserve emergency reserves, load-shedding has to continue:

Play sound: ENG MokwenaOnLoadshedding

# The Western Cape provincial hijacking task team has launched a manhunt for a group of male suspects believed to be involved in a business robbery and attempted murder in Nyanga, Cape Town. Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi, says reports suggest that the men entered a shopping centre, pretending to be customers, threatening the staff and robbed them at gunpoint of cash. He says as the suspects fled the scene, they noticed a patrol vehicle from Nyanga police at the entrance with four occupants:

Play sound: ENG SwartbooiOnRobbery

# The US and UK have coordinated a package of sanctions designed to disrupt Palestinian militant group Hamas operations, and target four of its senior leaders and two financiers. The sanctions include travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes. Newly appointed UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron says they will continue to use every tool at their disposal to disrupt the abhorrent activity of this terrorist organisation, working with the US and other allies, making it harder for them to operate and isolating them on the world stage.

# Rugby: Irish United Rugby Championship team, Connacht, is set to tour South Africa without key international players. Star players Bundee Aki, Santiago Cordero, and Mack Hansen will be notably absent as Connacht prepares for clashes against the Sharks in Durban this Saturday and a subsequent match against the Bulls in Pretoria. Despite missing these stars, Connacht maintains a strong position in the competition, having lost only one match this season and currently standing in fifth place on the table.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-24-cents and the euro at 19-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 35-thousand-639-dollars-5-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-962-dollars-49-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….