News 17:00

BULLETIN 26 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cilliers Brink is ousted as the mayor of Tshwane following a motion of no confidence
# The kidnapped Alize van der Merwe is released in the Eastern Cape
# And cricket: The Protea allrounders hope to make an impact against Ireland

# The DA’s Cilliers Brink has been removed as mayor of Tshwane through a motion of no confidence, ending his 18-month tenure. The vote saw 120 in favour, 87 against, and one abstention. Brink’s removal was initiated by the ANC and supported by the EFF, and ActionSA. A new mayor will be elected in the next seven to 14 days. Addressing the council, the EFF’s Obakeng Ramabodu criticised Brink’s leadership, citing mismanagement and neglect of marginalised communities: 

# Alize van der Merwe, kidnapped while traveling alone in the Eastern Cape on Friday, has been safely released. The Hawks confirmed that she and another woman were dropped off at Sulenkama police station today, reportedly traumatised, and are receiving medical care. It remains unclear if a ransom was paid as demanded. Van der Merwe was abducted en route to the Umngazi Resort, and authorities continue their manhunt for the kidnappers.

# The City of Ekurhuleni has placed Metro Police Chief Jabulani Mapiyeye on precautionary suspension following allegations of serious sexual misconduct involving two women. According to city spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, an independent investigator will look into the case. Dlamini says Mapiyeye, who has faced past accusations of assault and drunk driving, will be investigated under the Local Government Disciplinary Regulations. The findings will be reported within 30 days. Meanwhile, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate will also investigate other criminal allegations.

# Motorists can look forward to significant fuel savings next month, with projections indicating reductions for the fifth consecutive month. The Automobile Association predicts a drop of one-rand-13-cents per litre for 95-octane petrol and one-rand-five-cents for 93-octane. Diesel prices may decrease by one-rand-ten-cents to one-rand-12-cents per litre while illuminating paraffin could also see a reduction of one-rand-eight-cents per litre. AA spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela welcomes these anticipated decreases but urges government to review fuel pricing: 

# Cricket: South Africa and Ireland face off in two T20s and three one-day internationals in the United Arab Emirates, with the opening T20 in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. The Proteas come off a historic 2-1 ODI series loss against Afghanistan and now shift their focus to the shortest format of the game. Patrick Kruger is one of several allrounders in the mix and says there is a healthy level of competition in the squad:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-28-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-9-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-472-dollars-53-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-666-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….