News 09:00

BULLETIN 28 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Motsoaledi wants the National Health Insurance advertising contracts investigated
# The gender violence and femicide inquiry is extended
# And swimming: More names are included for selection for the World Short Course Championships

# Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi and his deputy Joe Phaahla have escalated allegations of inflated National Health Insurance advertising contracts to the Special Investigating Unit, the Auditor‑General, and the Public Protector. According to News24, contracts for NHI marketing and health communications originally worth a little more than one-thousand-rand, ballooned to a combined 182-million-rand. The money was allegedly taken from HIV/AIDS and other essential programmes. The department’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says the allegations are misleading but must be tested by independent investigators:

# The national inquiry into the reporting, victim support, investigation and pre-trial functioning of the criminal justice system’s response to gender-based violence and femicide has been extended. The Commission for Gender Equality, the South African Human Rights Commission, and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities are conducting the inquiry. SAHRC spokesperson Wisani Baloyi says the extension follows an overwhelming response to the public call for submissions, reflecting significant public interest in the inquiry:

# ActionSA has condemned the mass shooting in Lwandle, near Strand in Cape Town in the early hours of yesterday morning. Ten people were shot dead and eleven others wounded after gunmen opened fire at an entertainment venue. Four people were also killed in a separate shooting in Khayelitsha. Western Cape police have established a multidisciplinary team, led by serious violent crime detectives, to investigate the Lwandle attack. ActionSA’s Cape Town mayoral candidate Dereleen James says they are demanding an urgent and thorough investigation into these shootings:

# Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a referendum which proposed maintaining neutrality, lifting anti-Russian sanctions, and prohibiting membership in NATO. About 70-percent voted against tightening the country’s neutrality rules. The right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party, which championed the proposal, claimed the government had gravitated too close to the European Union and NATO, particularly over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Swiss government opposed the measure, arguing that if it were approved, the country would cease to be a reliable partner in international security policy.

# Swimming: Several swimmers achieved B qualifying times at the SA Short Course Championships, which means they can still be selected for the World Short Course Championships in Beijing, China, in December. There were three B qualifiers in the men’s 100 metres freestyle, with Guy Brooks taking the title in 47.59 seconds, ahead of Armand Coetzee and Kaydn Naidoo. Matthew Caldwell won the men’s one-thousand-500 metres freestyle in a B qualifying time of 15 minutes 13.33 seconds, while Georgia Nel is also in the qualifying mix in the 100 metres individual medley.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-34-cents and the euro at 18-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-65-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-450-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-198-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 103-dollars-21-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….