News 16:00

BULLETIN 18 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Siya Kolisi appeals to men to confront the gender-based violence and femicide crisis
# Consumer confidence rebounds, but spending remains cautious
# And rugby: The young star Luan Giliomee will leave the Sharks to join the Bulls

# Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi has called on South African men to take responsibility and urgent action to help end gender-based violence and femicide. His plea follows the discovery of nine women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. Speaking from Australia ahead of next weekend’s Test against the Wallabies, Kolisi urged citizens to unite against GBVF, and encouraged male sporting teams and other public figures to use their platforms to address the crisis:

Meanwhile, the Motor Industry Staff Association says the United Nations’ alarm over these killings highlight the failure to protect women from gender-based violence and femicide. The association’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says government has plans to fight GBVF, but these are not being properly funded or implemented. She calls for stronger law enforcement, better investigations and an effective justice system to protect women and hold perpetrators accountable:

# The quarterly Consumer Confidence Index jointly published by First National Bank and the Bureau for Economic Research improved to minus-13 in the third quarter from July to September. This is up from minus-19 during the second quarter from April to June. FNB senior economist Sphamandla Mkhwanazi says the improvement reflects stronger sentiment about household finances and the economy. However, consumers remain cautious about major purchases such as cars, furniture and appliances. Mkhwanazi says higher fuel and borrowing costs are likely to continue influencing household spending decisions.

# Rugby: Exciting young versatile back player Luan Giliomee is expected to relocate to Pretoria next month after signing for the Bulls. He is currently still under contract with the Sharks. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann says this means the 19-year-old South African under-20 star, who can play both fullback and flyhalf, won’t be available for his team’s first United Rugby Championship match against Zebre in Italy next Saturday. He also confirmed the Bulls are in talks with Springboks Malcolm Marx and Kwagga Smith to lure them to Pretoria.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-28-cents and the euro at 18-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-962-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-365-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 104-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A study by market research company, Ipsos, has revealed that transport costs are shutting millions of people out of opportunities. Ipsos country manager, Natalie Otte, says approximately 6.9-million-people have missed work or education because they could not afford transport. Speaking to the SABC, she warns fuel prices could worsen the problem, alongside pressure from food and housing costs:

Stay tuned for more news………….