News 11:00

BULLETIN 15 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The FF Plus says it’s time for South Africa to re-establish its diplomatic relations with Israel
# Cricket: The popular Catch Two-million-rand returns to the SA20
# And South Africa’s Wim van den Heever is the Wildlife Photographer of the Year for 2025

# The Freedom Front Plus says it’s time for South Africa to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel, to demonstrate its sincere commitment to facilitating lasting peace in the Middle East. Government recalled the country’s ambassador to Israel, Sisa Ngombane, in November 2023 over safety concerns due to the deadly war between Israel and Hamas. FF Plus leader, Corné Mulder, says the absence of an ambassador demonstrates an utter lack of diplomatic commitment to assist in resolving the conflict:

# The Madlanga commission in Pretoria will not sit today in order to resolve legal disputes over whether tomorrow’s witness will testify in camera. The commission’s chairperson, justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, says the decision follows ongoing safety concerns. Meanwhile, evidence leader Adila Hassim presented WhatsApp messages on behalf of witness X, alleging that crime expert Calvin Rafadi received money and favours from businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala in return for favourable media coverage:

# University of Fort Hare’s vice-chancellor, Sakhela Buhlungu, says calls for him to step down are not new, maintaining that he is going nowhere. Protesting students have called for his removal, accusing him of being complacent about allegations of mismanagement at the institution. Buhlungu says he is pushing ahead with an organisational restructure and monitoring several ongoing court cases involving murders and fraud on campus. He adds he is determined to fight to the end and serve out his contract.

# Cricket: The popular Catch Two-million-rand returns in the fourth season of the SA20, starting on the 26th of December. This entails spectators who catch a ball with one hand in the stands, share prize money of two-million-rand after the tournament, while participants who play sponsor Betway’s Catch Game will see their winnings tripled. Commissioner Graeme Smith says the competition has become an integral part of the stadium experience and is a fan-favourite across the 34 matches. The final takes place on the 25th of January.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-30-cents and the euro at 20-rand-13-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-512-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-195-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally, South African Wim van den Heever has been announced as the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image titled Ghost Town Visitor. The image is of a brown hyena standing beside the ruins of an abandoned diamond mining settlement in the ghost town of Kolmanskop in Namibia. The photograph was selected from a record-breaking 60-thousand-636 entries from 113 countries and territories. Van den Heever says it took him ten years to get this single image:

Stay tuned for more news………….