News 07:00

BULLETIN 27 September 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Daniel Silke says the removal of the Tshwane mayor reflects disunity in the ANC
# NUMSA protests the misuse of the security sector provident fund
# And an Israel strike in Beirut kills a Hezbollah commander

# Political analyst Daniel Silke says the good spirit of the government of national unity cooperation being forged at the national level is not filtering down to the local level. The ANC, EFF, and ActionSA succeeded in their mission to remove Tshwane mayor DA’s Cilliers Brink in a vote of no-confidence yesterday. A total of 120 councillors voted for the motion and 87 against it, while one member abstained. Silke says Brink’s removal is a disappointment which reflects more on internal ANC disunity:

Meanwhile, ActionSA has welcomed the removal of Brink, calling it the end of the DA’s failed eight-year leadership in the capital city. The party criticised Brink’s tenure, citing poor service delivery, particularly in townships where only 24-percent of residents saw improvements. The party was part of the DA-led coalition. ActionSA’s provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni plans to support the election of a new mayor who will prioritize improving services for all residents: 

# NUMSA in the Western Cape, joined by various other unions, marched to Parliament, demanding action against security companies looting workers’ medical and provident funds. They submitted a memorandum, calling for members of Parliament in the finance and police committees to ensure compliance. NUMSA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola vowed to continue pressurising government to protect workers’ rights and enforce collective agreements:

# The EFF says the quarterly employment statistics released by Statistics South Africa are yet another indication that the government of national unity will fail to stabilise the economy and create jobs. Full-time employment decreased by 39-thousand in the second quarter of this year compared to the first quarter. This decrease was primarily due to job cutting in manufacturing, mining, transport, trade, and business services. The EFF says government must prioritise a state-led re-industrialisation of the economy, investing in productive sectors to benefit citizens.

# Israel’s military says it carried out precise strikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut yesterday, that killed a Hezbollah commander. Fifteen people were injured. This is despite a 12-strong bloc of allies including the US, UK, and France calling for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon, saying a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict must be found. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has instructed the military to keep fighting Hezbollah at full force until their goals are met. Meanwhile, in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 15 people.

# Motorsport: Formula One team RB has dropped Australian Daniel Ricciardo immediately, replacing him with New Zealander Liam Lawson for the season’s final six races. Ricciardo has more often than not been outperformed by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda this year. Lawson came in for five races last season after Ricciardo broke his wrist in a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix. In his F1 career as a driver, Ricciardo has claimed eight victories in 257 grand prix starts across 14 seasons.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-23-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-9-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-76-dollars-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-668-dollars-92-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….