News 15:00

BULLETIN 7 October 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa will advance trade relations during visits to Ireland and Belgium
# Farmers criticise their exclusion from the Agricultural Master Plan
# And soccer: Kylian Mbappé is to undergo medical examinations when he joins France

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will embark on working visits to Ireland and Belgium this week to strengthen trade and diplomatic ties. The Presidency’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says Ramaphosa meets Irish president Michael Higgins and prime minister Micheál Martin tomorrow to deepen cooperation in education, science, and investment. He also confirmed that Ramaphosa will join the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, led by European Union president Ursula von der Leyen, on Thursday:

# Farmers and industry bodies say the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural and Agro-processing Master Plan ignores their input. Despite raising nine formal objections, organisations like TLU-SA, SAAI and Wildlife Ranching South Africa were excluded from oversight meetings. SAAI chairperson Theo de Jager says they argue the plan prioritises ideological transformation over profitability, sustainability, and value-chain efficiency, warning that sidelining farmers risks repeating failures seen in other state-run sectors.

# Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has been forced to adjourn after heated arguments among members of Parliament. The meeting broke down over whether Mkhwanazi’s statement was an original document or copied from his earlier testimony to the Madlanga commission. The committee’s chairperson, Soviet Lekganyane, halted proceedings to clarify the legal status of the document:

# Late ambassador Nathi Mthethwa’s family spokesperson, Sfiso Buthelezi, told Newzroom Afrika he has viewed the ambassador’s body at the mortuary as per the family’s wishes ahead of repatriation. Mthethwa died last week after reportedly falling from the 22nd floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Paris. His remains are expected to leave France on Thursday and arrive in South Africa on Friday. Buthelezi previously confirmed that a cultural spirit-fetching ritual will be observed:

# Soccer: Kylian Mbappé will undergo medical examinations on his right ankle when he meets up with his international team-mates ahead of the latest round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The French captain sustained the knock at the end of Real Madrid’s 3-1 La Liga victory over Villarreal on Saturday, casting doubts over his availability for the national team for their upcoming qualifying matches against Azerbaijan and Iceland. Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is also due to undergo tests after coming off injured in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-20-cents and the euro at 20-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 124-thousand-434-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-957-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….