News 13:00

BULLETIN 23 October 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Inflation drops to 3.8-percent, paving the way for a November interest rate cut
# A South African-born New Zealand cricket a world record of 200 off just 103 balls in a domestic game
# And 64-percent of Gauteng residents are worried about running out of water amid the current water crisis

# South Africa’s inflation rate fell to 3.8-percent last month, down from 4.4-percent in August, marking the lowest rate since early 2021. This is the fourth month in a row that inflation has fallen, mainly due to lower transport costs as fuel prices dropped by nine-percent from last year. Statistics South Africa’s Patrick Kelly says the decline has raised expectations of a 25-basis point interest rate cut when the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee meets next month: 

# The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the 25-year sentence for Onthatile Sebati, who orchestrated the 2016 murders of her parents, pregnant sister, and brother in Mmakau, North West. The High Court in Pretoria also sentenced her cousins, Tumelo and Kagiso Mokone, to four life terms each. The NPA’s Lumka Mahanjana says Sebati confessed in 2021 after paying her cousins 100-thousand-rand from insurance payouts:

# South African Airways is confident it can resolve a dispute with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Environment, which plans to seize its assets over 42-million-rand in unpaid Weather Service fees. According to Business Day, SAA argues that Zimbabwe’s government owes the airline over one-billion-rand in blocked funds since 2016. CEO John Lamola criticised the ministry’s actions as disruptive and proposed offsetting debts, but the ministry rejected the offer. He says SAA remains open to dialogue and hopes to reach an amicable solution soon.

# Cricket: South African-born New Zealander Chad Bowes broke the world record for the fastest double century in List A cricket when he reached 200 off just 103 balls. The Canterbury batter achieved the feat during a match against Otago in Christchurch, improving the previous record set by South Australian batter Travis Head against Queensland in 2021. Bowes lost his wicket for 205 off 110 balls, hitting seven sixes and 27 fours. The thirty-two-year-old had to be treated regularly for dehydration and a sore back.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-62-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 22-rand-89-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-271-dollars-81-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-753-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

# And finally: About 64-percent of Gauteng residents are worried about running out of water amid the current water crisis. This is according to the Gauteng City-Region Observatory’s seventh Quality of Life survey. Thirty-six percent of respondents who experienced daily or weekly water interruptions were dissatisfied with their water, compared to only eight-percent of respondents who rarely experienced water interruptions. The survey found the province is confronting water security difficulties, including balancing demands for limited water resources, ensuring access to water for all residents, and addressing pollution.

Stay tuned for more news………….