News 16:00

BULLETIN 23 October 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cele slams the disbandment of the political killings task team
# Russia says it is immune to the new US oil sanctions
# And Tnnis: Alcaraz and Sinner will face off in an exhibition match in Seoul in January

# Former Police minister Bheki Cele has described the political killings task team’s disbandment as a major setback. He told Parliament’s ad hoc committee that he learned of the decision through a letter by suspended Police minister, Senzo Mchunu. Cele also expressed shock after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, called suspended deputy national commissioner Shadrack Sibiya a criminal. Cele says some covert operations decisions are not under ministerial control:

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has urged residents to support the police in their efforts to combat crime and ensure community safety. Speaking at the province’s investment conference in Durban, Ntuli praised Mkhwanazi for serving without fear or favour. Ntuli stressed that safer cities are vital for attracting investors to the province:

Moving abroad:

# Russia says that new US sanctions on its oil industry risked hurting diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war, adding it was immune to them. China also announced it opposes recent sanctions slapped by the United States on the two largest Russian oil companies over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, saying they had no basis in international law. US president Donald Trump announced the measures yesterday after plans for a fresh summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin collapsed. Trump complains that talks with Putin don’t go anywhere.

# Tennis: The top-two players in the world, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner, will reportedly face off in an exhibition match in South Korea at the start of the 2026 season. Previous editions of the event featured famous players such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick, and Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova. The match will take place in Seoul on the tenth of January. Alcaraz has beaten Sinner ten times out of their 15 meetings on the ATP Tour.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-36-cents and the euro at 20-rand-12-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-182-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-105-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Pick’n Pay’s Feed the Nation initiative, born out of the Covid-19 pandemic, has distributed more than 215-million-rand worth of food over the past five years. This has provided over 45 million meals to people and families across South Africa. The initiative has focused on supporting child-headed households and has assisted nearly 600 schools nationwide. Pick’n Pay CEO Sean Summers says with the help of staff, suppliers, partners and customers, they have been able to deliver much-needed relief to vulnerable communities.

Stay tuned for more news………….