News 14:00

BULLETIN 25 September 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gwarube urges immediate action to address the education sector’s financial crisis
# Volkswagen Polo production moves exclusively to South Africa
# And golf: An Australian prodigy suffers a career-threatening eye injury

# Basic Education minister, Siviwe Gwarube, has called for urgent measures to address the education sector’s financial crisis. Speaking at a media briefing, she highlighted the severe impact of ongoing budget cuts, which threaten to reduce teaching posts, increase class sizes, and compromise the quality of education nationwide. Gwarube urges collaboration between the education sector and the National Treasury to secure additional funding and protect critical services like school nutrition and transport:

# Car manufacturer Volkswagen officially moved Polo production exclusively to South Africa, ending four decades of assembly in Spain. The final Polo from the Pamplona plant in Spain rolled off the line in July, while production now takes place at the Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape. This transition is part of a four-billion-rand investment, ensuring the Polo’s production will continue until at least 2029. A new SUV model is also expected to start production in Kariega in 2027. 

# South African National Parks is urging hikers to travel in groups and adhere to safety guidelines following the discovery of an American tourist’s body on Table Mountain. The missing hiker, Brook Cheuvront, was found dead on Devil’s Peak on Sunday following an extensive search. Visitors are also urged to plan routes carefully and inform someone of their expected return. SANParks spokesperson JP Louw encourages hikers to wear appropriate clothing and save emergency contact numbers before setting off: 

# Prime minister Keir Starmer has told Britons in Lebanon to leave immediately. Around 700 UK troops are getting deployed to Cyprus in the event of an emergency evacuation. Starmer said amidst fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah it is important to leave now. Two British warships are already in the region and would be used if any evacuation operation is ordered, with Air Force planes and helicopters also on standby. Israel last week launched a massive offensive against Hezbollah.

# Golf: An emerging Australian player who made his US PGA Tour debut this month, is fighting to save the sight in an eye after being struck by a ball during a pro-am event. Twenty-year-old Jeffrey Guan was hit in the face at a tournament south of Sydney and airlifted to hospital for surgery. Guan recently signed with the same management company as major winners Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson and received a sponsor invite to the PGA Tour Procore Championship in California this month.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-668-dollars-61-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-656-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….