News 13:00

BULLETIN 13 October 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A security analyst says Sibiya’s pension is affected by his dishonourable discharge
# Tongaat Hulett is delisted from the JSE after 74 years
# And a giant pumpkin champion eyes the world record

# A security analyst says former deputy police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya’s dishonourable discharge will affect his pension, leaving him without monthly payments. He had been stripped of his rank after resigning amid disciplinary proceedings. Sibya also faces criminal charges of rape, human trafficking and sexual grooming. The Institute for Security Studies’ Willem Els says the sanction is among the most severe available and reflects the seriousness of Sibiya’s misconduct:

# One of South Africa’s biggest sugar producers and agricultural businesses, Tongaat Hulett, will be removed from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on 3 November. The JSE announced it had decided to remove the company’s ordinary shares from its main board, ending a listing that dates back 74 years. The company has struggled to meet several of its obligations as a listed company since entering business rescue. The delisting does not involve an offer to shareholders, and no payment will be made to them as a result.

# The Garden Route District Municipality is urging residents to plant more trees to help communities cope with rising temperatures and future heatwaves. The approaching El Niño weather cycle and forecasts of soaring summer temperatures could make 2027 a challenging year for South Africans. The municipality’s spokesperson, Herman Pieters, says planting trees offers a practical, long-term solution to help communities adapt to rising temperatures:

# Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr beat Uzbekistan’s Neftchi Fergana three-one in the Asian Champions League after a security alert delayed kick-off by an hour. Authorities issued the warning shortly before the match in Riyadh following reports of explosions. The Saudi-led military coalition earlier intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles launched towards the capital by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Ronaldo scored Al-Nassr’s second goal just before half-time. Neftchi pulled one back after the break, but an own goal sealed the victory for the Saudi side.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-48-cents and the euro at 18-rand-43-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-383-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-183-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 107-dollars-23-cents a barrel.

# And finally: An American horticulture teacher is hoping to reclaim the world record for growing the heaviest pumpkin after winning his fifth giant-pumpkin competition. Travis Gienger travelled from Minnesota to California with his vegetable which weighed one-thousand-and-83 kilograms, and won the annual contest in Half Moon Bay. The world record was broken in England last week, where a pumpkin weighing one-thousand-300 kilograms took the title. Gienger has held the world record before and is one of many growers joining competitions this month hoping their pumpkins will be king.

Stay tuned for more news………….