News 08:00

BULLETIN 20 October 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The IEC partners with tech giants to counter online election disinformation
# The mayor of Tshwane admits negligence in Bronkhorstspruit’s water supply
# And, Donald Trump blames immigrants for the unrest in France

# The Electoral Commission has partnered with Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and non-profit organisation Moxii Africa to counter disinformation and safeguard the integrity of next month’s local government elections. The collaborative initiative aims to curb deliberate misinformation campaigns and harmful content across social media and digital platforms during the high-stakes political season. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo says the strategic inclusion of the online platforms gives the commission direct access to the platforms and a real fighting chance against disinformation:

# JustMoney says South Africans face increasing financial pressure. Its Money & Me 2026 survey of over five-thousand-400 people conducted in July and August found 65-percent find every month financially difficult, up from 61-percent in 2025. Spokesperson for JustMoney, Judy Bryant, says only ten-percent feel confident about their income and 43-percent borrow before month-end. She says 62-percent of retirement annuity holders made two-pot withdrawals. She added that over half spend more than 40-percent- of income on debt, up from 38-percent in 2025.

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya has admitted negligence over the failure to chlorinate the water, saying the metro had run out of chlorine after a dispute with its supplier. According to the national Department of Water and Sanitation investigation, Tshwane supplied unchlorinated water to communities in Bronkhorstspruit for three weeks without warning residents that their supply was unsafe. This has led to at least 408 people, mostly children, with gastrointestinal illness. Moya says action against officials responsible for managing the Bronkhorstspruit treatment works is underway:

# US president Donald Trump claims that immigrants are leading the wave of protests and rioting in France. The protests began last month with students demanding better school conditions, but they have since broadened to include concerns about rising fuel prices and the cost of living. French president Emmanuel Macron has described the violence as the work of “seditious elements from far-left factions, joined by numerous delinquents.” Speaking at a rally in Kansas, Trump called Macron’s immigration policy a “big mistake”:

# Soccer: The Portuguese Football Federation has suspended Cristiano Ronaldo for 30 days and fined him four-thousand-700-rand for walking out on the national team during last month’s UEFA Nations League campaign. The 41-year-old left the squad ahead of Portugal’s clash with Denmark on September 30th after a dispute with head coach Jorge Jesus, accusing him of breaking promises over his playing time. Ronaldo’s suspension takes effect from the day of the Denmark match, which means he will be available to play in Portugal’s Nations League matches against Denmark and Wales next month.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-40-cents and the euro at 18-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-86-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-796-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-143-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 111-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….