News 09:00

BULLETIN 4 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Hlabisa urges South Africans to register before the proclamation of the local government elections
# The GOOD Party criticises the Western Cape government for making empty promises on housing
# And, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt condemn Israel’s continued violations in Gaza

# Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has urged all eligible South Africans to register and verify their voter registration details before the proclamation of the local government election date on Friday. The final voter registration weekend saw 1.7 million citizens either visiting registration stations or using the online voter registration portal. The department’s spokesperson, Pearl Maseko-Binqose, says the proclamation and gazetting of the election date will result in the closure of the voters’ roll for the elections:

Meanwhile the IFP says the massive turnout for the final voter registration weekend shows that South Africans remain determined to exercise their democratic power and have their voices heard. Of the 1.7 million citizens, 291-thousand-806 registered as first-time voters, while over 1.5 million voters updated or confirmed their registration details. The IFP says the mission is to reach every eligible voter, particularly young people and first-time voters, reminding them that their vote is their voice, their influence, and their power to demand better governance.

# The GOOD Party has criticised the DA-led Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town for making repeated, empty announcements about affordable housing while delivery rates decline. The party’s spokesperson, Mandilakhe Tshwete, says the delivery of subsidised homes has radically diminished on the DA’s watch, down to just three-thousand delivered across the province in 2024/2025. She says the housing backlog has radically increased, to more than 680-thousand households:

# Mediators, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have condemned continuing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip. Israeli strikes have killed at least 28 people in Gaza since last Friday. This is when the US-led Board of Peace announced an agreement to disarm Hamas. However, the militant group stated that it will follow through with the deal only if Israel halts strikes in Gaza. In a joint statement, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have called on the international community to exert the necessary pressure on Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement.

# Cycling: Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who just won the Tour de France for a record-equalling fifth time, confirmed his participation in this year’s Vuelta a Espana for the first time in seven years. He ended third in 2019. The 27-year-old describes his previous experience in Spain as amazing, saying he loves the country and this is now the right time to return. Pogacar will lead Team Emirates-XRG consisting of eight riders for the tour, starting on the 22nd and ending on 13 September.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-51-cents and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-16-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-765-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-57-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….