News 17:00

BULLETIN 6 August 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission is urged not to disband the IDAC
# Michael Lomas gets a suspended sentence in the Kusile fraud case
# And rugby, the All Blacks are preparing for a real war of attrition against the Stormers

# Investigating Directorate Against Corruption Head of Investigations Matthews Sesoko has urged the Madlanga Commission not to conclude that the directorate is institutionally compromised. Sesoko described the matters under scrutiny as isolated incidents, saying IDAC has committed staff, sound structures and a strong record in fighting corruption. He recommended fully implementing the directorate’s operations manual, to ensure investigations are objective, transparent and protected:

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has opened a theft case against a former board member accused of stealing ten laptops that were meant to be donated to disadvantaged schools in the Eastern Cape. The laptops formed part of a donation drive in March, with six schools expected to receive five devices each. The scheme’s administrator, Hlengani Mathebula, says it’s unacceptable for someone entrusted with serving vulnerable communities to deprive needy learners of educational resources.

# Former Eskom contractor Michael Lomas has been handed a 15-year prison sentence, wholly suspended for five years, by the High Court in Johannesburg, after pleading guilty to fraud, theft and corruption linked to the 1.4-billion-rand Kusile Power Station corruption case. The 79-year-old admitted facilitating bribe payments to secure a tender, including cash and rental payments for former Eskom officials. Lomas was extradited from the United Kingdom in 2024 after his arrest in 2021 and entered a plea agreement with the State.

#  South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has ordered an all-out government response as a record-breaking heatwave continues to grip the country. Temperatures in Seoul were expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius today, with the death toll from heat-related illnesses rising to 21. Lee has instructed authorities to mobilise all available resources, protect vulnerable residents and enforce rest breaks for outdoor workers. The extreme heat has also disrupted sport, with all baseball games cancelled after several spectators reportedly collapsed in the scorching conditions.

# Rugby: All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has dismissed any notion that the matches against the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions are a warm-up ahead of the four-Test series against the Springboks. New Zealand take on the Stormers in Cape Town tomorrow. Eleven United Rugby champions have been included in the Stormers match 23, including Boks Evan Roos and Ntuthuko Mchunu. Rennie says they are well aware of how good this Stormers side is, and they are preparing for a real war of attrition:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-33-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-312-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-251-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-27-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….