News 06:00

BULLETIN 13 October 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The government encourages families to support the matric candidates
# Thuli Madonsela calls for ethical leadership to fix municipalities
# And Gwede Mantashe walks out of the COSATU congress

# Government is urging parents and guardians to support matric learners as they begin their final examinations today. A record 962-thousand-832 candidates have registered for the 2026 National Senior Certificate exams. Deputy government spokesperson William Baloyi encouraged parents to create a peaceful study environment and avoid putting learners under pressure. Baloyi also urged candidates who feel overwhelmed to seek support from teachers, family members or trusted people:

# Centre for Social Justice director Thuli Madonsela urges municipalities to turn constitutional rights into reality by improving service delivery and tackling inequality. Speaking ahead of the eighth Social Justice Summit at Stellenbosch University, which concludes today, Madonsela said municipalities need leaders with integrity who can provide basic services such as water, electricity, housing and refuse removal. Madonsela added South Africa cannot progress without fixing municipalities and delivering on the promises of the Constitution:

# ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has walked out of COSATU’s congress after objecting to the order of speeches. Mantashe, who was leading the ANC delegation, insisted on speaking last, saying this was the established tradition. The programme placed the South African Communist Party ahead of the ANC, followed by the South African National Civic Organisation. Efforts to persuade Mantashe to stay were unsuccessful. The incident adds to tensions within the alliance, as the SACP prepares to contest November’s local government elections independently.

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy says regular rail maintenance is key to increasing freight transport to 250-million tonnes a year by 2029. She made the remarks during an oversight visit to the iron ore line maintenance shutdown in the Northern Cape yesterday. The shutdown runs until 16 October, with repairs aimed at improving rail safety and reliability. Creecy added reliable infrastructure is essential to restoring confidence in freight rail and supporting economic growth:

# US President Donald Trump is defending a deal allowing Russian diesel onto global markets, saying it could help lower fuel prices. His administration has temporarily eased sanctions to allow the supplies, drawing criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Seven senators have urged Trump to reverse the decision, warning that it could break US law and help fund Russia’s war against Ukraine. Trump blames Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices, while president Volodymyr Zelensky points to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

# Rugby: Fourteen Springboks can represent the Bulls in this coming weekend’s Champions Cup opener against French outfit Stade Francais at Loftus. The Pretoria team didn’t impress in the previous four seasons, and didn’t even reach the play-offs in the 2024/25 season. But the Bulls are full of confidence after Saturday’s convincing 57-15 victory over the Lions in a home United Rugby Championship clash. Handré Pollard, Curwin Bosch and new signing Luan Giliomee are all vying for the number ten jersey.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-53-cents and the euro at 18-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 82-thousand-407-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-171-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 108-dollars-51-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….