News 14:00

BULLETIN 6 October 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Royal House of Mandela calls for the release of the flotilla detainees
# Johannesburg’s credit rating outlook is revised from negative to stable
# And soccer: Amajita is through to the round of 16 of the Under-20 World Cup

# The Royal House of Mandela has called for the unconditional release of all Global Sumud Flotilla detainees, including Mandla Mandela, detained by Israeli forces while delivering aid to Gaza. In a statement, the royal house thanked legal teams, diplomats, and supporters, while condemning the alleged mistreatment of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. It reaffirmed solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and urged global action against what it termed genocidal apartheid Israel.

# The City of Johannesburg has welcomed the decision by Global Credit Rating Company Limited to revise its outlook from negative to stable. The city’s spokesperson, Nkosana Lekotjolo, says in July 2023, the city’s outlook was downgraded to negative, following subdued income growth, rising expenditure, and relatively weak collection rates. He says the latest revision marks a significant turnaround, underscoring the positive impact of strong leadership, sound governance, prudent financial management, tighter internal controls, and effective contingency planning.

# The Midvaal Municipality was recognised as the best-performing municipality in Gauteng at the inaugural 2025 Municipal Performance Awards. The awards honour municipalities that excel in financial health, governance, fiscal discipline, and service delivery. Mayor Peter Teixeira’s spokesperson, Idah Satikhe, says this achievement is attributed to the hardworking staff and public representatives, and rate-paying residents:

# The Transport Department is proposing that remotely piloted aircraft systems be registered in South Africa. Spokesperson Collen Mnisi says the proposal, which is part of a broader air freight strategy, is open for public comment until 6 November. He told Newzroom Afrika the aim is to explore drones’ potential role in the freight value chain:

# Soccer: South Africa sealed its place in the knockout stages of the Under-20 World Cup in Chile with a 2–1 victory over the US. The Americans took the lead through Noah Cobb and Amajita levelled when Joshua Wynder scored an own goal. The turnaround was complete when Gomolemo Kekana slotted in the second goal just before halftime. Despite the defeat, the Americans still advanced as Group E winners, while South Africa finished second on goal difference and will face Colombia in the last 16.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-27-cents and the euro at 20-rand-14-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 124-thousand-71-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-940-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-55-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….