News 13:00

BULLETIN 21 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Sani Pass port of entry between South Africa and Lesotho has been closed to traffic due to heavy snowfall
# President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to address key issues at the 79th UN General Assembly
# And tennis: There is concern as the world number one withdraws from another tournament

# The Border Management Authority and stakeholders operating at the Sani Pass port of entry between South Africa and Lesotho have closed the port for operations in the Free State today. The authority’s spokesperson, Mmeme Mogotsi, says this is due to persistent heavy in the area, which has reached a depth of six-centimetres. The conditions have now become hazardous underfoot:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is today leading South Africa’s delegation at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York. He will address critical global challenges, including international peace, sustainable development, climate change, and pandemic preparedness. The assembly’s theme is Unity in Diversity, highlighting the importance of collaboration for a better future. Ramaphosa will also engage with business leaders to attract foreign investment to South Africa.  

# The GOOD party says Cricket South Africa’s statement supporting ongoing ties with Afghanistan despite the repression of Afghani women sounds disturbingly similar to Western leaders’ justification for maintaining ties with apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. The party’s Brett Herron says the statement repudiates South Africa’s own anti-apartheid sports struggle, and it’s slogan: no normal sport in an abnormal society. He adds CSA further repudiates the use of boycotts and sanctions as legitimate means of non-violent struggle:

# Tennis: Defending champion Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from Beijing due to personal matters. The Polish world number one and defending champion has decided not to play at the China Open. She won last year’s tournament after beating Russian Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets. The 23-year-old also withdrew from this week’s WTA 500 in Seoul. Swiatek had previously critiqued the length of the WTA tour’s schedule this year, calling it exhausting and advocating for the relaxation of tournaments that players are required to enter. 

# And finally: The organisation, Zero Carbon Charge, reaffirms its commitment to driving sustainable, zero-emission mobility in South Africa as the World commemorates Zero Emissions Day. The organisation’s chairperson, Joubert Roux, says their off-grid electric vehicle charging approach directly addresses South Africa’s dual challenges of achieving its carbon dioxide reduction targets, while navigating the limitations of its energy infrastructure. He says the equivalent of over one-million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be reduced due to their vehicle charging network between 2026 and 2030:

Stay tuned for more news………….