News 07:00

BULLETIN 4 November 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says it has become important for South Africa to diversify its trade relations
# The DA calls for action after the court rules that the NERSA tariff process is unconstitutional
# And, OUTA says stronger ties between civic groups and legislatures are vital for public trust

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says in the midst of global economic uncertainty, it has become more important than ever for South Africa to diversify its trade and investment relations. The president embarked on a state visit to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam last week. The combined value of trade between South Africa and these three countries in 2024 stood at 83-billion-rand. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says the countries have agreed to work together to promote peace and security, climate action, and sustainable development.

# The DA has urged Parliament’s Electricity Committee to reprimand the National Energy Regulator of South Africa following the Gauteng High Court ruling that its 2025/26 municipal electricity tariff process is unconstitutional. The DA’s Kevin Mileham criticised NERSA for repeated failures, including flawed cost-of-supply calculations, and welcomed the court-mandated timelines and public consultation model. He says the party vows to monitor compliance and ensure South Africans pay fair, lawful, and transparent electricity prices:

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says stronger ties between civic groups and provincial legislatures are vital for rebuilding public trust in governance. At a recent symposium in Cape Town, OUTA and the Western Cape provincial parliament pledged continued collaboration to ensure public input has a real impact and contributes to greater accountability and transparency. Practical measures proposed included open-data tools, plain-language legislation, and structured engagement between committees and civil society. OUTA says working closely with communities ensures public input shapes decisions.

# Acting Ekurhuleni mayor Jongizizwe Dlabathi says the level of lawlessness in Reiger Park is unabated and uncontrollable. This follows the killing of six people in a drive-by shooting in the area over the weekend. The acting mayor visited the families of the deceased on Monday. The motive for the attack is still unknown, and no arrests have been made at this stage. Dlabathi says there is an urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to deal with gangsterism, drug abuse, and organised crime:

# Former Israeli military top lawyer, major general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, has been arrested. This is after she admitted to leaking footage last year of soldiers allegedly attacking a Palestinian detainee, and then lying about her actions in court. Five reservists were subsequently charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm to the detainee. Tomer-Yerushalmi has been arrested on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, and disclosure of official information by a public servant.

# Rugby: Ireland’s head coach, Andy Farrell, doesn’t want any further excuses from his team during the rest of their autumn campaign after going down 26-13 to the All Blacks in Chicago, the US, on Saturday. The Irish squandered their 13-7 lead after 60 minutes to go down to New Zealand for the third time in a row. They play Japan in Dublin this coming weekend. Farrell believes Ireland can bounce back in the remaining November home matches against Eddie Jones’ side, the Wallabies, and the Springboks.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-93-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-10-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-979-dollars-49-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….