News 14:00

BULLETIN 1 October 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Government Pension Fund is working to resolve issues with processing the two-pot retirement withdrawals
# Giwusa calls for the national minimum wage to be increased to 15-thousand-rand per month
# And cricket: The Protea women play India in a warm-up match for the T20 World Cup

# The Government Employees Pension Fund has acknowledged delays in processing around 205-thousand withdrawal applications under the two-pot retirement system, totaling 5.7-billion-rand. Payments are set to begin this week, leading to frustration among members who expected funds by the end of last month. Many have experienced technical issues with the self-service app and difficulties updating personal details or receiving communication. The fund is addressing these challenges and says it remains committed to processing payments within the promised 60-day period.

# The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa is calling for the national minimum wage to be increased to 15-thousand-rand per month, in line with the recommendations of the Liveable Wage Report. Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei says this increase is necessary to ensure that no worker in South Africa has to live below the poverty line, and it will also begin to address the staggering levels of inequality in the country:

# Part of the border between Italy and Switzerland is set to be redrawn as the glaciers that mark the boundary melt. While national boundaries are often thought of as fixed, large sections of the Swiss-Italian border are defined by glaciers and snow fields. The two countries have agreed to change the border under the iconic Matterhorn Peak, one of the highest summits in the Alps. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, severely impacting its glaciers. Switzerland’s glaciers lost four-percent of their volume last year, and six-percent in 2022.

# Cricket: The Protea women take on India in Dubai today in a warm-up match for the T20 World Cup, starting in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. South Africa’s first encounter in the tournament will be against the West Indies on Friday, also in Dubai. The tournament starts in Sharjah with the match against Scotland and Bangladesh, who lost the hosting rights due to political unrest. Pakistan and Sri Lanka will then do battle in Sharjah. The final will be played in Dubai on the 20th.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-30-cents and the euro at 19-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-765-dollars-11-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-649-dollars-25-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The City of Cape Town and DeafSA today launched a new service for the deaf community, giving them direct access to the metro’s Public Emergency Communications Centre, via a feature on the city’s app. The feature, designed specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents, allows them to request emergency assistance in life-threatening situations quickly and easily, without the need for a voice call. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the feature reflects the city’s values, including a belief in human dignity:

Stay tuned for more news………….