News 14:00

BULLETIN 9 September 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Building sentiment ticks higher once more in the third quarter
# Activists and Citizens Forum calls on minister Mchunu to support police with more resources
# And, rugby: The Sharks confirm Kolisi will return to Durban

# FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi says the FNB Bank and Bureau for Economic Research Building Confidence Index, which measures sentiment in the building sector, rose to 40 in the third quarter of this year, from 35 in in the second quarter. Mkhwanazi says the current index level means that 60-percent of respondents are dissatisfied with prevailing business conditions:

# The Activists and Citizens Forum is calling on Police minister, Senzo Mchunu, to support the police with the necessary resources so that they can match the well resourced criminal syndicates. The forum’s spokesperson, Dennis Bloem, says the police service deserves praise and not opportunistic criticism. He says the police’s latest statistics indicate that murder, hijacking, rape, gender-based violence and femicide, cash-in-transit heists, extortion, dealing in drugs, and construction mafia cases have increased:

# The legal team behind the listeriosis class action against Tiger Brands claims there is evidence linking the company to the outbreak that killed over 200 people six-years ago. According to Daily Maverick, the lawyers allege the National Health Laboratory Service found that the listeriosis strain responsible was exclusively from Tiger Brands’ Enterprise Foods’ factory in Polokwane, Limpopo. Representing over one-thousand claimants, the legal team argues this evidence makes an overwhelming case against the food producer. Tiger Brands says it remains committed to promptly resolving the lawsuit.  

# Rugby: The Sharks have confirmed that Springbok captain Siya Kolisi will return home to join the Durban team upon the completion of his current national duties. After spending a season abroad with French Top 14 club Racing 92, the 33-year-old makes a welcome return home to South Africa. Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell says Kolisi is an influential player, whose leadership and passion is known and celebrated across the globe.  

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-79-cents and the euro at 19-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 55-thousand-318-dollars-7-cent. Gold sells at two-thousand-494-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe and his wife Layla officially launched the Cheslin Kolbe Foundation in Cape Town. It has been established with the intent to have a positive impact on underprivileged communities, including Kraaifontein where he grew up. The foundation’s key focus areas include sports resources and development, gang violence awareness, food security and school visits and upliftment. Western Cape premier Alan Winde says the Kolbe’s passion for giving back is a shining example of what it means to make a real difference.

Stay tuned for more news………….