News 07:00

NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 14 October 7 am

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In this bulletin:

# Business Leadership South Africa says the private sector could help with the visa backlog
# Transformation Alliance celebrates its certification with the Independent Electoral Commission
# And, the United Nation’s refugee agency warns it will have to shut down operations in Gaza due to no fuel

# Business Leadership South Africa says a lack of critical skills is holding back the country’s economy, as the Department of Home Affairs simply does not have the capacity to process visa applications. Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi has admitted a backlog of 74-thousand applications for all kinds of visas but has denied that there was a work permit backlog for critical skills applications. BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso says business could help, as the private sector has extensive administrative capacity that could be drawn on to process the backlog.

# The Transformation Alliance will today collect its official registration certificate from the Independent Electoral Commission’s head office in Tshwane. Party president Abel Tau, who introduced the alliance earlier this year, expressed gratitude to the IEC for maintaining adherence to rules during the registration process. Tau commended the IEC’s diligence as they gear up for next year’s provincial and national elections. He highlighted the party’s commitment to innovative solutions aligned with the needs of South Africans:

Play sound: ENG TauOnCertification

# The Congress of the People has terminated the membership of Johannesburg Council’s speaker, Colleen Makhubele, for allegedly signing the party up to the South African Rainbow Alliance without authorisation. The party argues Makhubele lacked the mandate to sign up COPE for the alliance. They were considering participation in SARA, but approval to proceed had not been granted. During a news conference, COPE’s Erick Mohlapamaswi also confirmed the termination of the services of councillor Ofentse Moalusi from the Tshwane Council:

Play sound: ENG MohlapamaswiOnMembers

# The Western Cape is contemplating the establishment of an electricity trading company to procure power from independent producers for municipalities, aiming for lower tariffs. The provincial government is currently assessing feasibility and exploring models for the venture, set to materialise mid-next year. Initial discussions and consultations include strong councils like Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Saldanha Bay while Drakenstein and Mossel Bay are potential participants. Other municipalities remain sceptic with concerns about the dominance of larger municipalities. Concerns around fair sharing, funding, and potential complexities remain.

# The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees has warned that its humanitarian operations in Gaza will grind to a halt in 48 hours when it runs out of fuel. The agency’s chief Thomas White says over the past three weeks, and after close coordination with the government of Israel, they were able to access a bulk reservoir of fuel in Gaza on the border with Egypt. However, this reservoir is now empty. He says no fuel has entered Gaza since last week Tuesday.

# Pretoria Rugby Club chairperson Jaco Basson has been shot and killed in Soshanguve over the weekend.  President Neels van Heerden confirmed that Basson went to the area to view a bakkie he was interested in buying. He was accompanied by the club’s coach, who was also severely assaulted and injured. Following the assault, the assailants reportedly instructed the injured coach to rush Basson to the hospital as he was dying.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 36-thousand-430-dollars-20-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-946-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….