News 17:00

BULLETIN 23 October 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Eight suspended Milnerton High School learners in a bullying case appear in court
# BOSA reveals six-billion-rand in municipal water funds went unspent over five years
# And rugby: An Irish scrum-half describes the All Blacks Test as brotherly rivalry

# Six Milnerton High School teenagers linked to a violent bullying incident appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court today after handing themselves over to police this morning. Another two under-aged learners appeared in juvenile court. The learners are facing charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in connection with a video showing a Grade 10 learner being beaten, which went viral. The case has been postponed.

# Former Police minister Bheki Cele has denied ever authorising the dissolution of the political killings task team during his tenure. Cele told Parliament’s ad hoc committee the team was still active ahead of last year’s May elections and no decision to disband it was made. He questioned suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu’s claim of disbandment since 2022, insisting a September 5th resolution affirmed the task team’s continuation:

# Build One South Africa says six-billion-rand in municipal water and sanitation funds have gone unspent over the past five-years, leaving millions of South Africans without reliable access to clean water. The party warns government mismanagement is deepening the water crisis, particularly in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and Gauteng. Speaking in Parliament, BOSA deputy leader Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster called for urgent audits, public disclosure of failing municipalities, and accountability for officials and contractors:

# Rugby: Ireland’s New Zealand-born scrum-half, Jamison Gibson-Park, describes next weekend’s Test against the All Blacks in Chicago in the US as a brotherly rivalry. He qualified to represent Ireland in 2019 after playing for Leinster for three seasons, and have since represented his adopted country in 43 Tests. Gibson-Park says the duel is something he always wants to be a part of. After the encounter, Ireland plays Japan, Australia, and the Springboks at home on consecutive weekends.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-31-cents and the euro at 20-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-109-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-148-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-96-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Africa’s entertainment and media sector is set to outpace global growth between 2024 and 2029. According to PwC’s report, Africa Entertainment and Media Outlook 2025–2029, Nigeria leads with a 7.2-percent growth rate, while South Africa and Kenya follow at 3.5-percent and 5.2-percent respectively. PwC highlights a major digital shift driven by mobile-first consumption, youth engagement, and artificial intelligence innovation. Nigeria’s digital advertising spend is expected to hit 84-percent by 2029, signalling Africa’s transformation into a global digital powerhouse.

Stay tuned for more news………….