News 07:00

BULLETIN 4 November 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa will vote in Joburg and Geordin Hill-Lewis in Cape Town
# The Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models recalled over steering defect
# And, Callum Dreyer wins Team SA’s first gold at the Youth Olympic Games

# With today being the local government elections, president Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by First Lady doctor Tshepo Motsepe, will cast their votes at Hyde Park High School in Johannesburg. A record 546 parties and nearly 137-thousand candidates will contest the elections. The DA leader will cast his vote at Edgemead Primary School in Cape Town, while MK Party president Jacob Zuma will vote at Ntolwane Primary School in KwaZulu-Natal. The EFF leader Julius Malema will vote in Limpopo, and BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane will vote in Soweto. Voting stations will open at 7 am and close at 9 pm. 

# Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has reaffirmed the department’s commitment to working closely with the South African Medical Association to improve healthcare services. This follows the election of Edward Ngwenya as the association’s new chairperson, while former chairperson Mvuyisi Mzukwa has been appointed president. The department’s Foster Mohale says regular engagement with SAMA is important in addressing challenges facing medical practitioners and patients and building a more responsive and equitable health system: 

# The National Consumer Commission is recalling one-thousand-896 Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles over a possible fire risk. The affected vehicles, made available for sale between 2021 and last year, may have an electrical fault in the power-steering pump connection, which could cause overheating and potentially lead to a fire. The commission’s Phetho Ntaba urged Jeep owners to check their vehicle identification numbers on the Jeep website.

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya says a preliminary report has found evidence of serious shortcomings in the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant manager’s discharge of his responsibilities. Last month, over 800 cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported after the metro failed to treat the plant’s water with chlorine. Moya says accountability for the water crisis in Bronkhorstspruit should include leaders in all parts of the value chain. However, she emphasised that the restoration of the plant is at an advanced stage:

# President Donald Trump says the US will cut off roughly 66.88-billion-rand in annual aid to Israel by the end of the year. America provides military aid to Israel under a ten-year memorandum of understanding that began in 2018 and is set to expire in 2028. A September poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that nearly 48-percent of voters believe the US is too supportive of Israel, up from 16-percent in 2017. In a telephone interview with Fox News, Trump said Israel no longer needs American funding:

# Youth Olympic Games: Team South Africa added two more medals to their haul at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, with the first gold medal coming courtesy of rower Callum Dreyer and a silver medal thanks to Chanel Veldsman. Sixteen-year-old Dreyer sealed the gold by defeating Spain’s Diego Molina Martinez in the final, with Hungary’s Adam Moor claiming the bronze medal. Swimmer Veldsman won a silver medal in the women’s 100 metres breaststroke. South Africa’s total medal tally now stands at four: one gold, two silver and one bronze.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-59-cents and the euro at 18-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-33-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-870-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-974-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 107-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….