News 17:00

BULLETIN 6 October 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An Electoral Commission results system audit is underway ahead of the 2026 local government elections
# Tennis: The world number one Jannik Sinner will miss the rest of the season due to injury
# And: A heifer that belongs to Cyril Ramaphosa sells for a record 6.4-million-rand at an auction

# The Electoral Commission says an audit of the 4 November local government election results system is underway. The system is used to capture and collate election results and allocate seats to political parties and candidates. The commission’s David Mandaha says information and communication technology experts from the ACDP, ANC, DA and MK Party are taking part in the review, which is examining the system’s integrity, security, functionality and reliability:

# Patriotic Alliance deputy president Kenny Kunene says the party will work with other political parties to govern Johannesburg after the local government elections. Speaking to the SABC, Kunene says his experience as a City Transport Mayoral Committee Member has given him insight into service delivery challenges. He says the PA will prioritise infrastructure, public safety, municipal debt and improved services, while partnering with parties that share similar priorities:

# The crew of a merchant ship is missing after it sank in the Black Sea off NATO-member Bulgaria following a drone strike. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev says two commercial vessels were attacked about 112 kilometres off the coast. The crew of a second ship carrying grain was rescued, with two people injured. The nationality of the missing crew is unknown. A maritime security source says initial assessments suggest Russia was responsible. Bulgaria has launched a search for the missing crew.

# Tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury. He last played at Wimbledon in July, when he won his fourth Grand Slam title. The president of Italian Tennis, Angelo Binaghi, says the federation will stand with 25-year-old because his physical well-being takes precedence over any result or competitive commitment. Sinner’s decision means Alexander Zverev of Germany, who clinched his first two Grand Slam titles this year, should top the world ranking before the end of the season.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-51-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-191-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-169-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-61-cents a barrel.

# And finally: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Ankole cattle have fetched record prices at an auction at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. A three-year-old pregnant heifer, Queen Arusha, sold for a record 6.4-million-rand, making it the most expensive female animal ever sold in South Africa. Two straws of semen from Ramaphosa-owned bull Optimus Prime also fetched a record 250-thousand-rand each. The three-year-old heifer is from Ramaphosa’s Ntaba Nyoni cattle farm, which has bred Ankole cattle since 2004.

Stay tuned for more news………….