News 18:00

BULLETIN 6 November 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulates Donald Trump on his return to the US presidency
# Food poisoning incidents prompt the Basic Education minister to address pesticide safety in schools
# And cricket: Ninety-one South Africans are registered for the IPL auction

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Republican United States president-elect Donald Trump on his return to the presidency for a second non-consecutive term. Ramaphosa expresses eagerness to continue the strong and mutually beneficial partnership between South Africa and the US across various sectors. He also highlights the importance of future collaboration as South Africa prepares for its presidency of the G20 next year, followed by the US in 2026, reinforcing the close ties between the two nations in global leadership. 

Emerging markets trembled today after the announcement of Trump’s victory. His return to the White House rattled currencies and equities, including Mexico’s peso which fell 3.3 percent, while Hong Kong’s stock index dropped over 2.5-percent. According to News24, Trump’s America First policies, including tariffs and tighter trade terms, threaten developing economies. Analysts warn of a stronger dollar, higher US bond yields, and economic strains for export-reliant markets across Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

# The Department of Basic Education is working closely with the Department of Health to develop new safety guidelines for schools following recent food contamination incidents linked to toxic pesticides. Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube told the media the department is also exploring legal measures to prevent hazardous chemicals, like organophosphates, from entering school environments to ensure the safety of learners: 

# AfriForum and Solidarity have dismissed Cosatu’s claims that apartheid flags were displayed at the BELA protest in Pretoria yesterday. AfriForum’s Kallie Kriel says the accusations are false and malicious. Kriel says that with over ten-thousand attendees protesting the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, organisers noted one individual with a Vierkleur flag, who was quickly escorted off-site. He criticised Cosatu over the allegations:

# Cricket: South Africa is the country with the second-highest number of players included in the auction for next year’s Indian Premier League. India registered one-thousand-165 players and South Africa 91. Among the South Africans up for grabs are Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Aiden Markram. A surprise omission among the one-thousand-574 names is that of England captain Ben Stokes. The IPL will shorten the list after receiving input from the ten franchises. The auction takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, later this month.

# And the financial indicators:  The dollar trades at 17-rand-70-cents and the euro at 18-rand-96-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 74-thousand-91-dollars-20-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-663-dollars-67-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….