News 11:00

BULLETIN 15 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eskom warns municipal debt is threatening its financial sustainability
# The UK sanctions several top Iranian military officials and organisations
# And rugby: Argentina’s Pablo Matera will miss their Italy clash after a red card ban

# Eskom’s chief financial official, Calib Cassim, warns that the growing municipal debt is threatening the power utility’s financial sustainability. The debt incentive scheme for municipalities has seen only 14 local councils sticking to their payment obligations out of 72 that signed up. Cassim says if municipal debt continues to grow at this trajectory, the 85-billion-rand will get close to 100-billion-rand by the end of this financial year, and close to 120-billion-rand by the end of 2025/’26. He adds that another bailout from the Treasury could be required.

# Trade union Solidarity is urging the public to join their protest against changes to the BELA Act in Pretoria next month. The union, along with civil rights organisation AfriForum, opposes the new rules that give government officials control over school admission and language policies. Solidarity’s CEO, Dirk Hermann, urges communities to join the march on 5 November to put pressure on government to reconsider the changes to the act:

# The Western Cape Department of Education says a total of 75-thousand-647 candidates will write the National Senior Certificate exams in the province this year. Of these, 64-thouand-375 are full-time candidates, and 11-thousand-272 are part-time candidates. The exams begin on Monday, with 66-thousand-988 candidates writing English Home Language, First Additional Language, or Second Additional Language. MEC David Maynier says they have 270 more full-time candidates writing this year compared to the November matric exams last year:

# The UK has announced a new round of sanctions targeting senior Iranian military figures and organisations for their role in attempting to destabilise the Middle East. This is in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on the first of October. Among the individuals sanctioned, which will subject them to a travel ban and asset freeze, are Iran’s Army commander-in-chief, Abdolrahim Mousavi, and his deputy, Mohammad-Hossein Dadras. UK Foreign secretary David Lammy says they continue to call for a de-escalation across the region.

# Rugby: Argentian flanker Pablo Matera has been handed a two-week ban for the red card he received in the last Rugby Championship match against South Africa in Mbombela last month. He was sent off in the 56th minute of the Los Pumas’ 48-7 loss to the Springboks, for charging into a ruck. The ban will see Matera miss Argentina’s Test against Italy in Udine on the ninth of November. He will however be available to face top-ranked Ireland in Dublin and France in Paris.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-62-cents and the euro at 19-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-717-dollars-53-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-648-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….