News 14:00

BULLETIN 5 August 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament’s impeachment committee recommends Thandazani Madonsela as evidence leader
# Rugby: Only four referees are appointed for the All Blacks’ matches in South Africa
# And war-time Nazi ships emerge from the riverbed as the Danube runs dry

# Parliament’s impeachment committee has recommended advocate Thandazani Madonsela as evidence leader into the Phala Phala allegations involving president Cyril Ramaphosa. He received majority backing from the EFF, the MK Party, Build One South Africa, the Africa Transformation Movement and United Africans Transformation. The ANC, Patriotic Alliance and Al Jama’ah abstained and the DA’s candidate, Kate Hofmeyr, lost by two votes. Chairperson Makashule Gana says Parliament’s administration will make the final appointment:

# The DA tabled a motion of censure against Gauteng legislature speaker Morakane Mosupyoe over a 5.9-million-rand trip to Venezuela in November last year. The party’s Solly Msimanga alleges the expenditure was wasteful and the trip offered little value, as South Africa was already represented at the tourism event by Brand South Africa. He says public funds should be prioritised for service delivery and calls for Mosupyoe to be held accountable:

# The 2026 International Criminal Police Organisation African Cyberthreat Assessment Report reveals that artificial intelligence is enabling 55-percent of reported cybercrimes across Africa. This makes attacks faster and increasingly difficult for victims and platforms to detect. According to the report, South Africa’s ultra-high connectivity makes it a magnet for global threat actors seeking maximum disruption. INTERPOL says cybercrime losses in Africa have doubled since 2024, reaching over eight-billion-rand. It recommends standardised digital forensic capabilities, enhanced cross-border cooperation and investment in AI literacy among law enforcement officers and formal public-private partnerships.

# Rugby: Only four referees were named for the All Blacks’ matches in South Africa, with England’s Karl Dickson handling Friday’s opening match against the Stormers in Cape Town. Compatriot Matthew Carling will officiate the Sharks match in Durban, and the first Test at Ellis Park. Nika Amashukeli of Georgia will referee the Bulls game at Loftus and the second Test in Cape Town, while Angus Gardner of Australia will handle the match against the Lions at Ellis Park, and the third Test at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-40-cents and the euro at 18-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-8-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-122-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-156-dollars-53-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-35-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The second longest river in Europe, the Danube, is running so low that dozens of Nazi battleships from World War Two are emerging from the riverbed. The river runs through several countries from West to East, including Germany, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. Rusty hulls are now visible in the middle of the river separating Serbia and Romania, near the port of Prahovo. The ships, some still laden with weapons, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that they deliberately sank as they retreated from Romania towards the end of the war.

Stay tuned for more news………….