News 17:00

BULLETIN 29 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will update South Africans on the Ekurhuleni women’s murders
# Voters are urged to replace lost IDs and special voters must apply ahead of the elections
# And, Shadrack Sibiya is served to face an internal police disciplinary hearing

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 7 pm tonight on government’s response to gender-based violence and femicide. Ramaphosa will also provide an update on investigations into the murders of women in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The address comes amid growing concern over violence against women. The South African Broadcasting Corporation will provide a broadcast feed to the media, while the Presidency will livestream the address on its digital platforms.

# The Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has urged eligible voters with lost or damaged ID documents to replace them at Home Affairs or participating bank branches ahead of the November 4 local government elections. Meanwhile, Ntshavheni announced that special vote applications are now open, closing on 12 October at 5 PM. She also appealed to all political parties and independent candidates to strictly uphold the electoral code of conduct:

# Suspended deputy national police commissioner Shadrack Sibiya will face an internal disciplinary hearing on Monday. He applied for bail in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng after being charged with rape, sexual grooming and other offenses. Spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says Sibiya was informed while in police holding cells. She says he has to be present for the hearing, and the location will be determined following Thursday’s outcome of his bail application:

# US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a suspected terror plot near a British airbase used by US forces clearly involved a foreign actor. Five British men in their twenties, from London, were arrested near RAF Fairford on Sunday and released on bail a day later. British counter-terrorism police are investigating whether the suspects were acting for a foreign state. Rubio did not identify the country or provide evidence, while US President Donald Trump suggested there could be a link to Iran. Tehran has denied involvement. The investigation is continuing.

# Cricket: A totally different Proteas team is expected for tomorrow’s final one-day match against Australia in Potchefstroom after the hosts already clinched the series by winning the first two encounters. Coach Shukri Conrad says they are still chasing a series whitewash, but wants to keep testing the squad’s depth. He says a lot of bowlers and batters are coming through Cricket South Africa’s system and things are very healthy at the moment. The ODI series will be followed by three Tests, starting in Durban next Friday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-392-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-156-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….