News 18:00

BULLETIN 5 November 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Thousands march in protest against the BELA Act
# Roadrunning: The New York City marathon breaks the world record for the most participants to finish the race
# And a new carjacking trend in Gauteng is targeting car washes

# AfriForum and Solidarity have confirmed that over ten-thousand people took part in today’s demonstration in Pretoria in defense of Afrikaans education against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act. Protesters marched from the Voortrekker Monument to Freedom Park, emphasising that BELA is the red line. AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel condemned perceived threats to cultural identity and demanded the preservation of mother language rights in education:

# ActionSA has welcomed minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George’s acknowledgement of the Cape Town sewage crisis. George confirmed a criminal case has been opened regarding the city’s release of over 30-million litres of untreated sewage into coastal waters daily. This response came after ActionSA questioned the city’s failure to follow environmental laws. The party’s Michael Beaumont says the city’s actions pose serious risks to public health and marine ecosystems: 

# The National Employers Association of South Africa says ongoing issues with the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s online platform persist, despite its recent restoration after being down for nearly two months. News24 reports the platform, essential for employers to register, declare, and pay UIF contributions, continues to experience numerous glitches, making it difficult to use. According to the association, these problems arose from a dispute between the Department of Employment and Labour and a service provider, raising concerns about the platform’s reliability for its users. 

# Roadrunning: A new world record was set on Sunday when a total of 55-thousand-646 athletes crossed the finish line of the New York City marathon. That beat the record of 54-thousand-280 runners who completed the Berlin Marathon in September. Sunday’s women’s race was also the biggest in the American city after 24-thousand-731 athletes finished in Central Park. The first woman home was Sheila Chepkirui from Kenya, and the first man Abdi Nageeye from the Netherlands.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-43-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 22-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-755-dollars-80-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-744-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A new carjacking trend in Gauteng is targeting cars left at car washes, with thieves posing as authorised individuals to collect vehicles. Fidelity ADT reports that criminals exploit unattended cars, especially when keys are left with attendants. Motorists are urged to keep their keys, monitor their vehicles, and ensure only the owner retrieves the car. Statistics show that a vehicle is hijacked in South Africa every 22 minutes, with more than half of the incidents in Gauteng. SUVs and certain Toyota models are most popular with thieves.

Stay tuned for more news………….