News 12:00

BULLETIN 2 November 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Hlabisa calls on South Africans to contribute to peaceful, free, fair and incident-free elections
# Tshwane begins with the final water system cleaning at the Bronkhorstspruit treatment plant
# And rugby: England’s coach urges his players to improve their discipline in the Nations Championship

# Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa has called on South Africans to protect democracy and contribute to peaceful, free, fair and incident-free local government elections. Special voting is taking place today and tomorrow, with the majority of citizens expected to cast their ballots on Wednesday. The department’s spokesperson, Pearl Maseko-Binqose, says voting allows communities to influence municipal leadership, shape local priorities and hold elected representatives accountable for service delivery:

Meanwhile, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure says 139 election-related crime dockets have been registered nationally since the commencement of the election process. Twenty-one were reported during the first voter registration weekend in June, 13 during the second in August, and 105 outside the registration weekends. NATJOINTS chairperson Tebello Mosikili says 48 suspects have been arrested and 69 cases remain under investigation, while eight cases have been submitted to the public prosecutor for a decision:

# Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya says flushing and cleaning of the water supply system has begun as part of the final preparations to restore clean water to communities affected by the Bronkhorstspruit water treatment plant contamination crisis. This resulted in 833 reported cases of gastrointestinal illness. Moya says water is being pumped from the plant to feeder reservoirs, including those in Zithobeni and Ekangala. She warns large volumes of water will flow through the system:

Moving abroad:

# Prosecutors in France have launched an investigation into attempted murder after petrol bombs were thrown at police during the weekend’s demonstrations in Paris. One official suffered burns to his ankle and injuries to his hand, while 14 others sustained wounds ranging from minor to serious. Clashes erupted in Paris and in other cities on Saturday during a third weekend of student-led protests against soaring living costs. Over 770 people were arrested. Interior minister Laurent Nunez says throwing petrol bombs at a police line was unacceptable.

# Rugby: England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, has warned his players against indiscipline, saying they recognise the vital importance of keeping 15 players on the field in the Nations Championship. England have amassed 15 yellow cards and one red card in their eight Tests so far this year, including four against Argentina in July. Borthwick says his players will need to raise their standards at the breakdown and in defence if they are to compete successfully against Australia, Japan and New Zealand in the Nations Championship this month.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-65-cents and the euro at 18-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-38-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-892-dollars-94-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 113-dollars-80-sents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….