News 11:00

BULLETIN 15 November 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA says Ramaphosa is dragging his feet on the Simelane matter
# Rassie Erasmus explains why he reverted to a 5-3 split for the England clash
# And Miss South Africa Mia le Roux withdraws from the Miss Universe competition

# ActionSA says it is concerned that president Cyril Ramaphosa appears to be reluctant to take concrete and decisive action against Justice minister Thembi Simelane. In 2016, while she was mayor of Polokwane, the minister received a 575-thousand-600-rand loan from a company linked to VBS Bank. Ramaphosa received a report from Simelane in September and asked for time and space to apply his mind. ActionSA’s Athol Trollip says Ramaphosa lacks the appetite to tackle corruption within his cabinet:

# The Institute for Security Studies’ Willem Els has revealed that children as young as eleven in South Africa are being indoctrinated to commit acts of terrorism. Els emphasised to News24 the urgent need for action to combat this threat, citing insufficient intelligence and ongoing radicalisation. Meanwhile, Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber acknowledged the multifaceted security challenges, stressing the importance of addressing long-neglected border issues to prevent further escalation.

# Policies and practices of Israel in its 13-month-old conflict with Hamas are consistent with the characteristics of genocide. This is according to a United Nations special committee report. The International Court of Justice is currently investigating a claim put forward by South Africa that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is genocidal. The UN says there are also serious concerns that Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, and is running an apartheid system in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says the return to the traditional split of five forwards and three backs on the bench, is a response to the challenge he expects England to pose at Twickenham tomorrow. South Africa’s starting 15 against England shows 12 changes to the team which defeated Scotland last weekend. Only Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nché and Bongi Mbonambi remain. Erasmus says he is happy with the quality of depth throughout the team:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-84-dollars-2-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-561-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-41-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Miss South Africa Mia le Roux has been forced to withdraw from the Miss Universe competition due to health concerns. She says making this decision has been incredibly challenging, knowing the dreams and hopes that have been placed upon her. The Miss South Africa Organisation says Le Roux has shown incredible courage and grace throughout this difficult period, adding that her health and well-being are the utmost priority. Miss Universe will be held in Mexico City this weekend.

Stay tuned for more news………….