News 13:00

BULLETIN 7 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# COSATU is concerned about retrenchments across all sectors
# New cases of foot-and-mouth disease are reported in the Free State
# And Ukraine’s main government building in Kyiv is hit for the first time

# Cosatu says it is deeply concerned about retrenchments announced recently across various sectors in South Africa. The trade union referred to, amongst others, Ford’s plan to cut 470 jobs last week. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Zanele Sabela, also mentioned ArcelorMittal South Africa, which decided to pull the plug on its long steel operations in Newcastle and Vereeniging by the end of September, putting three-thousand-500 direct jobs and an estimated 100-thousand jobs along the value chain at risk:

# The Free State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed that nine new cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been reported in the province. This brings the total of confirmed cases in the province to seventeen. The department says the Free State has four distinct outbreaks across the Moqhaka, Metsimaholo, and Mafube Local Municipalities. The department says two communal grazing areas have been affected by the current outbreaks, and these areas present additional challenges due to shared grazing practices and the lack of adequate fencing in the areas.

# The DA in Johannesburg has written to the mayoral committee member for Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, to request an urgent meeting. The party says this to discuss the circumstances that led to the deaths of two trainee candidates of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police who allegedly died following a JMPD physical fitness assessment a week ago. The DA’s Solomon Maila says the two candidates, Michael Nyambi and Zwelethu Tekete, were part of the JMPD’s process of recruiting and selecting 500 police officers for the 2025/2026 financial year:

# ActionSA in Tshwane is encouraging residents to support local farmers at Tshwane Fresh Produce Market in Pretoria. The party says the market is open to residents and businesses that want to buy small quantities of fruit and vegetables for household consumption, family events, and retail. ActionSA’s Henriette Frohlich says the recently Council-approved Tshwane Fresh Produce Market Precinct Plan has identified 15 improvement projects that will help the market better link with small-scale traders in Marabastad:

# Ukraine’s main government building in Kyiv has been hit for the first time during the war after Russian attacks. Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the government building’s roof and upper floors were damaged “due to an enemy attack”, and firefighters were working to extinguish the fire. At least two people, including a one-year-old child, were killed and more than a dozen injured in the overnight barrage, which also damaged several residential buildings.

# And rugby: Western Province overpowered the Boland Cavaliers 40–22 at the Cape Town stadium yesterday for its first Currie Cup win of the season, while at Ellis Park the Golden Lions trounced Griquas 37–7. At Loftus Versfeld, the Blue Bulls held off a determined Free State Cheetahs 35–31 to maintain their winning streak. The weekend’s results leave the competition wide open as teams gear up for next weekend’s pivotal Round 8 clashes.

Stay tuned for more news………….