News 18:00

BULLETIN 11 November 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala accuses the former minister of Police Bheki Cele of siphoning off money for favours
# The UN chief, António Guterres, warns the climate crisis is moving faster than the global response
# And, swimming: Minister Gayton McKenzie wishes Tatjana Smith well after her decision to compete for the Netherlands 

# Businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has accused former Police minister Bheki Cele of demanding money in exchange for favours. Testifying at the Madlanga Commission, Matlala likened Cele to a jukebox, saying payments were required to make things happen. He alleged that six-million-rand and a property in Trafalgar, KwaZulu-Natal, were demanded for resolving firearm issues and securing an introduction to KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi:

# The National Youth Unemployment Movement has launched a nationwide drive, dubbed “#UnemploymentFreeCities2029,” to tackle joblessness and stimulate employment across South Africa. The campaign follows the latest labour data showing that while the number of unemployed citizens aged 15 to 34 dipped by 23-thousand to five million, total youth employment also dropped by five-thousand to 5.5 million. Movement leader Lindokuhle Yende insists that youth unemployment must be declared a national emergency:

# The family of missing skipper Jan Mokonyane has appealed to government for specialised equipment to assist search and rescue efforts at Hartbeespoort Dam. Water hyacinth covers approximately 46-percent of the dam, restricting boat access. Mokonyane disappeared when a boat carrying nine people capsized on October 25. Eight people were rescued, he remains missing.

# United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned world leaders that the climate crisis is advancing faster than efforts to contain it. Addressing the COP31 climate summit in Turkey, he called for urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are seeking agreement on expanding electricity use and reviving stalled efforts to reduce dependence on coal, oil and gas. Guterres says rising temperatures and worsening extreme weather show that governments must act more decisively.

# Swimming: Sport, Arts and Culture minister Gayton McKenzie has wished Olympic swimming champion Tatjana Smith well after her announcement that she will compete under the Dutch flag. McKenzie says Smith informed him of her decision before making it public, urging South Africans not to turn her personal choice into a political issue.  The minister added that problems at Swimming South Africa are being addressed through a reform process involving World Aquatics. 

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-58-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-41-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-3-cents and Bitcoin trades at 73-thousand-790-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-34-dollars-82-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….