News 09:00

BULLETIN 11 October 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA welcomes Ramaphosa’s acknowledgment of the visa reforms
# The Parliament is told of threats against the Public Protector CEO
# And follow-up cholera testing is underway in the Vaal and Harts Rivers

# The DA has welcomed president Cyril Ramaphosa’s acknowledgement of the game-changing visa reforms spearheaded by minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber. The minister has gazetted the Remote Work Visitor Visa and a Points-Based System for Work Visas. The DA’s, Willie Aucamp, says the reforms will be a game-changer for attracting foreign investment, generating employment, and positioning South Africa as a world-class destination for skilled talent and tourism:

# Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka told Parliament that CEO Thandi Sibanyoni received threats related to paying her predecessor Busisiwe Mkhwebane a ten-million-rand gratuity. She told the portfolio committee on Justice and Constitutional Development that Mkhwebane’s husband, David Skosana, made threatening calls and sent threatening messages to Sibanyoni. Gcaleka says the matter has been reported to the police. Mkhwebane’s attempt to obtain her gratuity was dismissed in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria this week.

# The Department of Water and Sanitation says follow-up testing is ongoing after cholera was found in the Harts and Vaal Rivers in North West and Northern Cape. Residents are warned not to drink or touch untreated water from these rivers. The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa says routine sampling revealed the presence of cholera at five locations, prompting municipalities to improve their water treatment processes:

# Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a ceasefire with Russia is not under discussion with European allies as he urges more Western support ahead of winter. He has discussed his proposed victory plan with the leaders of Britain, France, and Italy, as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s new secretary general Mark Rutte, as part of his tour of European capitals. Rutte says it is vital to keep supporting Ukraine with weapons, training, and funding:

# Soccer: Forty-eight-ranked Greece defeated England two-one in the Uefa Nations League at Wembley, making them the lowest-ranked side to beat the Three Lions in a competitive match since Northern Ireland in 2005. In Oslo, Erling Haaland became Norway’s all-time leading goalscorer, as he scored twice in a three-nil win over Slovenia. Christopher Nkunku celebrated his return to the France team with a goal in a four-one victory over Israel. Italy and Belgium played to a two-all draw in Rome.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-13-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-531-dollars-31-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-645-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….