News 14:00

BULLETIN 22 September 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fannie Masemola tells the commission he will resist unlawful ministerial instructions that interfere with SAPS operations
# The French media giant Canal+ takes effective control of SA’s MultiChoice
# And Cricket: The Proteas start their defence of the World Test Championship against Pakistan next month

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola has told the Madlanga commission of inquiry in Pretoria that the minister of Police has no authority to interfere in operational or managerial decisions of the South African Police Service. His testimony comes as Police minister Senzo Mchunu remains on special leave amid ongoing scrutiny of political interference and the disbanding of the political killings task team. Masemola told the inquiry that he would not comply with directives encroaching on operational control:

# French media giant Canal Plus (pronounce: Canal Ploes) says it had taken effective control of South African television and streaming company MultiChoice, creating a group present in nearly 70 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. The companies said in a joint statement that the combined group will have a workforce of 17-thousand employees and serve more than 40-million subscribers. Canal Plus, which is already the sector’s leader in French-speaking African countries, now controls what it described as the leader in the continent’s English- and Portuguese-speaking regions.

# Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific says it expects to cancel more than 500 flights as Super Typhoon Ragasa is forecast to hit the Chinese financial hub. From tomorrow, passenger flights arriving at and departing from Hong Kong International Airport will cease operations until resuming during daytime hours on Thursday. Ragasa is crossing the Luzon Strait between southern Taiwan and northern Philippines, and is expected to hit Hong Kong and southern China on Tuesday.

# Cricket: South Africa will begin their defence of the World Test Championship title with a two-match Test series against Pakistan from 12 to 24 October in Lahore and Rawalpindi. Captain Temba Bavuma has been ruled out with a calf strain and Aiden Markram will captain the side. Spinner Simon Harmer has been recalled for the first time since March 2023. David Miller will captain the T20 squad, while Matthew Breetzke will lead the ODI side. Donovan Ferreira will take charge in the T20 against Namibia on 11 October in Windhoek.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-26-cents and the euro at 20-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-32-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-662-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-725-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Ophthalmological Society of South Africa says people in their 30s and 40s are recording high cases of Type 2 diabetes leading to cataract risks. The society’s Mpopi Lenake said studies show that lifestyle choices such as obesity, smoking, long-term exposure to UV rays without protective sunglasses and diabetes increase risks. This Eyecare Awareness Month, she called for lifestyle changes including healthy living, and regular eye check-ups to prevent cataract:

Stay tuned for more news………….