News 14:00

BULLETIN 13 November 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Warrants are issued for the arrest of SAFA executives over fraud allegations
# Saftu says there is no possibility of a change in the country’s economic path
# And cricket: The Proteas and India move to Centurion for the third T20

# The president of the South African Football Association, Danny Jordaan, and two other people are expected to appear in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Gauteng today. Seventy-three-year-old Jordaan and his co-accused, Safa’s chief financial official, Gronie Hluyo, and businessman Trevor Neethling, are accused of fraud and theft amounting to 1.3-million-rand. Allegations include unauthorised use of Safa resources for personal expenses between 2014 and 2018. According to reports more charges may be included.

# Saftu says government’s strategy for most of the past 30 years has failed dismally to achieve the economic growth needed to address the catastrophic levels of unemployment. Saftu’s Mogoshadi Maserumule says with the so-called government of national unity, there is no possibility of a change in the country’s economic path. She says the federation remains unimpressed by the employment figures in the third quarter’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey:

# The Freedom Front Plus says the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children is just a band-aid solution to a pervasive systemic problem. The party’s Heloïse Denner says there has been a slow improvement in the hard statistics on violence against women since the campaign’s inception in 1991, but the message must be made clear that this atrocity should be combated year-round. She adds that the country’s criminal justice system must do more to protect women:

# Asian markets fell again today as traders fret over the impact of Donald Trump’s American presidency on the Chinese and global economies, with fears that his policies could also reignite US inflation. The prospect of prices spiking again on the back of tax cuts, import tariffs, and an easing of regulations gave fresh impetus to the dollar. Traders are also keeping tabs on bitcoin after it came within a whisker of breaking 90-thousand-dollar for the first time, though observers are betting on it hitting 100-thousand-dollar owing to Trump’s pro-crypto campaign pledges.

# Cricket: The Proteas and India take on each other in the third T20 at SuperSport Park in Centurion tonight after sharing the spoils in the first two encounters. India won the first match in Durban by 61 runs, followed by South Africa’s victory by three wickets in Gqeberha. The final game takes place at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday. The change from the East Coast to the Highveld is described as travelling to an entirely different continent, with the pitches up north being described as more batter-friendly.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-99-cents and the euro at 19-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-444-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-607-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….