News 15:00

BULLETIN 3 October 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# COSATU says the DA have a zero chance of succeeding to collapse the Employment Equity Act
# Deputy minster Sello Seitlholo says the pollution of water resources remains one of the greatest risks in South Africa
# And cricket: A Sri Lankan spinner is banned for not reporting an approach to fix matches

# Cosatu says it is deeply dismayed by the DA’s shocking threats to have the Employment Equity Act declared unconstitutional. The federation’s Matthew Parks says anyone with the most cursory of legal knowledge would appreciate the DA’s tone-deaf theatrics have zero chance of succeeding. He says the constitutional obligation upon the state and employers to address discrimination in workplaces is clear:

# Deputy minister of Water And Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo, says the pollution of water resources remains one of the greatest risks facing water security and sustainability. Seitlholo was speaking during the launch of the Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forum aimed at addressing the long-standing pollution affecting the water quality in the Vaal River. He says the issue of pollution of water resources is the business of every South African and every industry:

# Standard Bank CEO Sim Tshabalala says foreign investors remain cautious, awaiting tangible reforms, despite market recovery. Speaking at Bloomberg’s Future of Finance event, Tshabalala highlighted that while optimism has surged with the new coalition government, past unfulfilled reform promises have left investors hesitant. He says concerns over corruption, Eskom’s energy crisis, and economic challenges like unemployment persist, reducing full investor confidence in South Africa’s market.

# Cricket: The International Cricket Council has banned Sri Lankan spinner Praveen Jayawickrama for a year for failing to report an approach to fix matches, and obstructing an investigation. Half of the sanction was suspended. The ICC says the 26-year-old was asked to fix international matches and to approach other players to do it as well, during the 2021 Lanka Premier League season. He admitted to breaching the sport’s anti-corruption code. Jayawickrama made his international debut in April 2021.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-962-dollars-67-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-645-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South African celebrities Connie Ferguson, Bryan Habana, Proverb, Graeme Smith, Thobile Khumalo, and Ntando Kunene have joined forces to support ‘Turn On The Subtitles,’ a global initiative aimed at boosting children’s literacy. TOTS, launching in South Africa today, encourages families to activate subtitles on streaming platforms. TOTS says with eight out of ten children unable to read for meaning by age ten in South Africa, this action could significantly improve the nation’s literacy rates.

Stay tuned for more news………….