News 11:00

BULLETIN 12 November 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC will adopt a mandate guide for its coalition negotiations team
# Women For Change announces a nationwide women’s shutdown on 21 November
# And soccer: South Africa’s Peter Auf der Heyde has declared a challenge for the FIFA presidency

# The ANC says the outcome of the local government elections has placed before the party a serious political responsibility to listen to the people, confront its shortcomings and provide leadership. The party will convene an extended special National Executive Committee meeting in Gauteng today. It has been pushed out of the leading position in several key metropolitan councils, including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. National spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu says the party’s response must not be reduced to negotiations for municipal positions:

Meanwhile, the South African Communist Party has ruled out entering a coalition with the DA or the Freedom Front Plus. The SACP, which contested the local government elections independently of the tripartite alliance for the first time, won 2.38-percent of the national vote and 264 council seats. Yesterday marked the start of the 14-day window for municipal councils to be established. The SACP says it will not associate itself with right-wing, anti-Freedom Charter, neo-liberal parties, their coalition arrangements and their agendas.

# Women For Change has announced the nationwide women’s shutdown will return on 21 November, calling for urgent government action against gender-based violence and femicide. The mobilisation marks one year since GBVF was declared a national disaster. The organisation says despite this, South Africa still lacks a fully funded implementation plan with clear targets and accountability. The shutdown will include a march from Wits University to Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, followed by a 15-minute lie-down to honour women murdered daily in South Africa.

Moving abroad:

# Democrat Scott Colom has won the Senate race in Mississippi after a prolonged ballot-counting process. The 43-year-old’s victory makes him the first Democratic senator in the deep-red state since 1982. Colom secured 49.2-percent of the vote, while Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith received 48.7-percent and an independent candidate 2.1-percent. This means the Democrats will hold 55 seats in the 100-member Senate, with the Alaskan race still to be called. Colom, a local district attorney, has vowed to work for everyone in Mississippi regardless of whether he won their vote.

# Soccer: South African journalist and lecturer Peter Auf der Heyde is the latest to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency. The 65-year-old was president of the Grahamstown Soccer Association and owned and managed UDW FC in the early 1990s. Honorary president of Japan’s Soccer Association, Kozo Tashima, and former Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega will also stand in the March election. Auf der Heyde told the BBC he has three focus areas:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-63-cents and the euro at 18-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-5-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-412-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-964-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 95-dollars-32-sents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….