News 09:00

BULLETIN 18 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Moody’s says South Africa’s economy will grow by less than 1.5-percent over the next two years
# The Forum for SA calls for minister Mchunu to be fired
# And King Charles commends Donald Trump’s efforts to find solutions to intractable conflicts

# Ratings agency Moody’s expects South Africa’s economy to grow by less than 1.5-percent a year over the next two years. This is below the nearly five-percent forecast for Sub-Saharan Africa. Moody’s says it only expects changes in US tariffs to have some modest impact in the country, while softer demand from key trading markets such as China will hurt growth. It says political, social, and other constraints dampened the pace of improvements to credit fundamentals. Moody’s adds that the 2026 local elections could test the country’s coalition government’s stability.

# The Forum for South Africa says it commends KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, for his bravery and honesty in standing firm against corruption and political interference. Mkhwanazi testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, where he repeated his claim that the Political Killings Task Team was unlawfully disbanded on the orders of now suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu. The forum’s Tebogo Mashilompane says Mchunu needs to be fired immediately:

# National Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says three seized firearms, an AK-47 and two pistols, tied to cases involving businessman Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, and alleged associate Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe, are forensically linked to 18 violent crimes. Mathe said the weapons are linked to cases involving attacks on DJs Sumbody, Vinto, and Vettis. She confirmed that police are also hunting for another AK-47 linked to actress Tebogo Thobejane’s case:

# King Charles has emphasised the deep connections between the UK and the US and the need to maintain cultural, trading, and military links. He hosted president Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, at a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle yesterday evening. Trump is on his historic second state visit to the country, where he is expected to meet prime minister Keir Starmer today. King Charles called for US support for Ukraine against the forces of tyranny:

# Soccer: Paris Saint-Germain made a winning start to their Champions League title defence as they beat Atalanta 4-0. Captain Marcos Aoás Corrêa and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave PSG a 2-0 lead at halftime, and Nuno Mendes put the tie beyond Atalanta early in the second half before Gonçalo Ramos added a fourth in stoppage time. Last season’s runners-up Inter Milan claimed a 2-0 win over Ajax. England striker Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich defeated Chelsea 3-1. Captain Virgil van Dijk scored the late winner as Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid 3-2.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-41-cents and the euro at 20-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 117-thousand-719-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-657-dollars-67-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….