News 12:00

BULLETIN 5 October 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A poll shows Patrice Motsepe as the popular figure to lead South Africa
# The DA is demanding answers on the 2.4-billion-rand spent on SANDF charter flights
# And cricket: Anrich Nortjé is ready for his Test comeback against Australia

# In a News24/SABI poll, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has received a favourability rating of 48-percent as the person South Africans want as president of the country. The poll was conducted among five-thousand-and-one registered voters. President Cyril Ramaphosa is second with a 40-percent favourability rating. Among those who will vote for the ANC in next month’s local government elections, Motsepe is the popular choice at 38-percent, with deputy president Paul Mashatile at 26-percent. Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder received the lowest favourability rating of 15-percent.

# The DA is calling on minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, to explain how around 2.4-billion-rand was spent on charter flights for the South African National Defence Force over five financial years. She revealed this in a parliamentary reply. Spokesperson Chris Hattingh says the DA asked for annual flight numbers and expenditure across ordinary travel-management arrangements, supply chain management deviations, and emergency or operational procurement. He says Motshekga cannot keep hiding behind bureaucratic excuses:

# The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has received no further reports of dead or dying sardines since the isolated wash-up near Mbotyi on the northern Wild Coast early September. The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity has previously confirmed pilchard herpesvirus in a sardine sample collected from at Port St Johns on 1 September. The department’s Zolile Nqayi says commercially produced sardine products released through regulated channels remain safe:

# Cricket: Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortjé says he is excited about the prospect of wearing the Test cap again. The 32-year-old, who last played a Test in 2023, is in South Africa’s 18-player preliminary squad for the three-match World Test Championship series against Australia. Nortjé says he has been preparing for a possible recall, admitting that he has been focused on executing his skills with the red ball, building loads gradually, and getting the overs up. The first Test match starts at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday. 

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-65-cents and the euro at 18-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-396-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-164-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Western Cape is honouring teachers on World Teachers’ Day, with October declared Teacher Appreciation Month. The provincial Education Department has urged communities to thank teachers for all their hard work. MEC Jaco Londt praised national award winners Mthobi Fihla, Danielle Bosch and Hortense Stegmann for their leadership and inclusive education efforts. He says teachers continue to lead, innovate and change lives despite daily challenges:

Stay tuned for more news………….