News 18:00

BULLETIN 19 October 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa remembers the journalists who defied apartheid censorship
# Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says Ekurhukeni could reduce its reliance on Eskom
# And, tennis: The partnership of Elena Svitolina and Gaël Monfils ends in divorce

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says media freedom must be protected, as the media plays a vital role in holding government accountable and exposing failures. He was speaking during a Black Wednesday and National Press Freedom Day commemoration in Johannesburg. Today marks 49 years since the apartheid regime banned several publications and detained journalists on 19 October 1977. Ramaphosa added South Africa must protect press freedom and the public’s right to information:

# Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says Ekurhuleni’s approved Ministerial Determination on electricity could significantly reduce its reliance on Eskom. Ramokgopa says diversifying energy sources is key to improving energy security and making electricity more affordable. He says the shift towards renewables, supported by reliable power generation, could also strengthen the competitiveness of Ekurhuleni’s industrial sector and support South Africa’s economic growth ambitions:

# The Western Cape Department of Mobility has no backlog in public transport operating licence applications. The Provincial Regulatory Entity takes just more than a month to process applications, within the legal limit of 60 days. Operators can apply online and receive SMS updates on progress. Vehicles are checked for safety before licences are issued. Spokesperson Byron la Hoe says managing the backlog requires ongoing effort, good systems and dedicated staff:

# A Kenyan High Court judge has found that preacher Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Ministries operated as a doomsday cult. Justice Diana Kavedza-Mochache says followers were isolated from the outside world, while children were denied education and medical care. She is delivering judgment in the murder trial of Mackenzie and 30 co-accused over the deaths of 191 people, including 190 children. Prosecutors allege followers were encouraged to starve themselves in the belief they would meet Jesus. More than 400 bodies have been recovered from Shakahola Forest since the case came to light in 2023.

# Tennis: One of the sport’s highest profile personal matches is over. Elena Svitolina of Ukraine announced her pending divorce from popular Frenchman Gaël Monfils, who recently retired. The couple married in July 2021 and has a four-year-daughter. Thirty-two-year-old Svitolina, who is currently sixth in the world rankings, writes on social media she needs to find a way back to herself and cannot do that within her marriage. Forty-year-old Monfils had been given a wildcard for this week’s ATP-250 tournament in Lyon, France, but withdrew for personal reasons.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-813-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-149-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 109-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….