News 14:00

BULLETIN 20 November 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Auditor-General flags the two-billion-rand project Thusano for unaccredited Cuban training
# Rugby: Four members of Australia A are called up to the Wallabies camp before the Tests against Scotland and Ireland
# And a marble bust used as a door stopper could sell for over 500-million-rand

# The Auditor-General has flagged a two-billion-rand collaboration between South Africa and Cuba, Project Thusano, for poor outcomes. The project aimed to train 108 students in medical professions. However, the programme’s qualifications are reportedly not accredited in South Africa, leaving students jobless. According to News24, only 28.57-percent of the first cohort passed their integration course, and bio-medical engineering graduates cannot register locally. Recommendations include accreditation reviews and collaboration with the Department of Health to ensure training value.

# Metalworkers union Numsa has called on Transport minister Barbara Creecy to intervene in the Road Accident Fund’s crisis. Assets worth 18-million-rand are expected to be auctioned on 5 December due to maladministration. Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola alleges that poor management has led to dire working conditions and data breaches. She says immediate action is needed to restore stability and accountability:

# Statistics South Africa announced consumer inflation dropped to 2.8-percent in October, the lowest level since June 2020. This marks a significant decrease from 3.8-percent in September, driven primarily by a sharp month-on-month decline in fuel prices. Food inflation also eased to the lowest level since 2019, as prices for maize meal, bread, and dairy products fell. StatsSA’s Patrick Kelly says categories like sugar and beverages recorded slight price increases: 

# Rugby: Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt called up four members of the Australia A side to the Test squad for the Tests against Scotland and Ireland. Hamish Stewart, Darby Lancaster, Tom Hooper and Harry Hoopert are currently touring with the A side in the United Kingdom. They were drafted in because of injuries, while other players may be unavailable for the Ireland match on the 30th since it falls outside the Test window. Eighthman Harry Wilson should return after missing the clash against Wales due to concussion.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-9-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-483-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-623-dollars-70-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-21-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Bouchardon bust, made by French sculptor Edmé Bouchardon in the early 18th century, could sell for over 578-million-rand through a private sale. The marble bust depicts the late Scottish landowner and politician John Gordon. Around 1930, the Invergordon Town Council in Scotland purchased the bust but misplaced it. In 1998, it was found being used to keep open a shed door in an industrial park. The marble bust has been loaned to the Louvre in Paris and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in recent years.

Stay tuned for more news………….