News 08:00

NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 12 November 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A student’s union calls on minister Nzimande to act against the incompetence of the NSFAS board
# Civil organisations demand the Western Cape government’s support for Palestine
# And, rugby: A narrow URC victory for the Lions

# The South African Union of Students has given the minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, seven days to act against the inability of the NSFAS board. Over 70-thousand students still haven’t received their allowances since end of May. Union spokesperson, Asive Dlaniwa,  says these students are writing their year-end exams but have been left completely helpless at the hands and mercy of NSFAS and its incompetent service providers:

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# The IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa is calling on government to take immediate and decisive action to address the water crisis in South Africa. He says the country needs a comprehensive overhaul and expansion of the water infrastructure, including dams, treatment plants and distribution networks. This investment should be a national priority, and it should be executed efficiently. Hlabisa says government entities responsible for water resources must be well-managed and free from corruption:

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# The Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cape Town stands with faith-based organisations, civil society, political parties and human rights groups who demand the Western Cape provincial government should pledge unequivocal support and solidarity with the people of Palestine, just as they stood by the people of Ukraine. The activists marched to the provincial legislature yesterday to hand over a memorandum to  speaker, Daylin Mitchell. The organisation wants premier, Alan Winde, to promise to arrest Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just as he had promised to arrest Vladimir Putin.

# The CEO of investment management company Everest Wealth, Thys van Zyl, warns of sharp increases in school fees and medical aid premiums next year. Van Zyl calls the increases another of the aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some schools and medical aids have announced double-digit increases for 2024. Van Zyl remarks during the pandemic many parents could not afford school fees or did not pay because children were at home, and good payers were turned into bad payers. He encourages consumers to look further where they can potentially save money.

# And, rugby: The Lions are celebrating their first United Championship victory of the season after beating Scarlets 24-23 in Llanelli last night. Sanele Nohamba converted a late try by Henko van Wyk to seal the win. Earlier the Stormers suffered another tour loss when Benneton beat them 20-17 in Treviso. On Friday, the Sharks lost 12-10 to another Italian team, Zebre, in Parma. The Bulls are the only other South African team to register a victory this weekend, handing Cardiff a 18-12 defeat in Wales.

Stay tuned for more news………….