News 18:00

BULLETIN 18 November 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC says the Madlanga commission will help strengthen state institutions
# Barbara Creecy urges women to seize the rail sector opportunities
# And, the firearm recovery rate raises red flags in Cape Town

# ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula says the party fully supports the Madlanga commission as a tool to strengthen state institutions and accelerate government reforms. The ANC’s national executive committee has tasked its Integrity Commission with monitoring testimony from the commission and the parliamentary ad hoc committee, making recommendations in line with its mandate. Mbalula told the media the party also backs anti-corruption agencies:

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy has called on women in the rail sector to prepare for major upcoming rail projects expected to define the next decade of rail reform and modernisation. Speaking at the Women in Rail South Africa launch in Midrand, Creecy emphasised that a new golden age of rail is emerging, with key Transnet requests for proposals due from year-end. The minister urged women to position themselves early, warning those outside the pipeline may lose future strategic advantages.

# The City of Cape Town has expressed concern at the number of firearms that are being confiscated from the streets. The metro’s enforcement agencies recovered at least nine firearms in the last week, six of them in just 36 hours this past weekend. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says five suspects aged between 15 and 24 were arrested for possession of illegal firearms in Portland, Philippi East, and Hanover Park:

# The Kremlin says Russian representatives will not take part in talks on Ukraine in Istanbul tomorrow. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky earlier said he would go to Turkey in an attempt to revive negotiations on ending the war. A Turkish source announced US special envoy Steve Witkoff would join the planned talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says president Vladimir Putin was open to conversations with the US and Turkey. He adds France’s deal with Ukraine to buy 100 Rafale fighter jets was regrettable and not contributing to peace.

# Soccer: World governing body FIFA, in collaboration with US president Donald Trump’s administration, has introduced the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System for the 2026 World Cup. The FIFA Pass will allow World Cup ticket holders to receive prioritised visa interviews before arriving for the tournament, set for the US, Canada and Mexiko in June and July next year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the pass will ensure that visitors can enter America without issues for the global showpiece:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-19-cents and the euro at 19-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-250-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-70-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….