News 11:00

BULLETIN 18 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa urges supporters to vote in numbers
# Ian Cameron urges Fannie Masemola to address police service failures
# And: Mass protests in France erupt into violent riots

# ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has urged supporters in the eMfuleni to vote in large numbers in the upcoming local government elections. Addressing about 300 volunteers, Ramaphosa called on voters to help the party regain control of Cape Town as they challenge the DA’s dominance in the province. Ramaphosa described the city as divided between well-maintained and neglected areas. He continues the campaign today attending a church service in Khayelitsha:

Meanwhile, the Inkatha Freedom Party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa has criticised municipalities for neglecting water infrastructure, saying shortages are affecting households and farmers. Speaking during the party’s election campaign in Tzaneen, Limpopo, Hlabisa identified infrastructure maintenance as a priority emphasising that municipalities must repair ageing and failing systems before they become major crises. Hlabisa says proactive maintenance is essential to securing reliable water supplies, protecting agricultural livelihoods and improving service delivery:

# Parliament’s Police Portfolio Committee chairperson, Ian Cameron, is urging National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola to urgently address declining police performance, leadership vacancies and falling public trust. Masemola returns to work on Monday after president Cyril Ramaphosa lifted his suspension following the withdrawal of charges against him. Cameron says the police service must improve its performance, remove rogue officers and rebuild public confidence. He has also warned against the criminal justice system being used as a weapon by those entrusted to uphold the law.

# France has been rocked by some of its worst rioting in decades, as protests over rising living costs and declining public services turned violent in cities across the country. More than half a million people took part in demonstrations on Saturday, although most marched peacefully. Violent groups set fire to public buildings, looted shops and clashed with police. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says about one-thousand-200 people have been arrested and more than 150 police officers injured. The protests began over poor school conditions before widening into anger over inequality and government spending.

# Tennis: Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Rafael Jodar will contest an all-Spanish final at the Shanghai Masters after beating top seed Alexander Zverev and former world number one Daniil Medvedev.  Davidovich Fokina fought back to beat Germany’s Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, while 20-year-old Jodar defeated Russia’s Medvedev 6-3, 6-4. Jodar has reached his first Masters 1000 final after a remarkable rise this season. Davidovich Fokina is chasing his first title at this level, having finished runner-up in Monte Carlo in 2022.

And in more tennis news, Poland’s Maja Chwalinska has beaten compatriot Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 to reach her first WTA 1000 final in Wuhan, China. Six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek was hampered by a left thigh injury after leading 5-3 in the opening set. Chwalinska won ten of the next eleven games to seal victory. She will face Britain’s Sonay Kartal in Sunday’s final. Kartal beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in two tie-breaks to reach the biggest final of her career. Both players are chasing their first WTA 1000 title.

Stay tuned for more news………….