News 08:00

BULLETIN 11 August 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Hlabisa urges communities to exercise caution amid the severe weather conditions
# Parliament says the defence industry continues to contribute to economic growth and development
# And athletics: Team SA secures eight medals at the U20 Championships

# Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has urged residents and communities affected by severe winter weather in parts of the country to exercise extreme caution and prioritise their safety. The current weather conditions are associated with a cut-off low and a ridging high-pressure system. The mountainous areas of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State have experienced snowfall. The department’s spokesperson, Pearl Maseko-Binqose, says they will support coordinated response and relief efforts in affected areas:

# Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence has stressed the importance of having a well-functioning defence industry supported by an effective regulatory and oversight framework. The National Conventional Arms Control Committee has released its first quarter report on the approval of import and export permits for conventional arms. The NCACC approved 64 contracting permits valued at 17-billion-rand, 86 export permits for munitions costing 855-million-rand and 29 export permits for dual-use components valued at 172-million-rand. The committee says these approvals reflect the continued strength and growth potential of South Africa’s defence industry. 

# Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, is demanding stronger accountability for the management of public funds and educational resources. The MEC briefed the media yesterday on the findings of the provincial “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” outreach programme. He confirmed that investigations into alleged financial misconduct involving principals, School Governing Body members and other officials are continuing. Maile warns that corruption directly undermines the quality of education and deprives learners of opportunities:

# US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at reducing the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children. The number of childhood vaccines will drop to eleven from the existing 18 recommended by the American Academy of Paediatrics. Under the order, all children are recommended to receive vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV and varicella, or chicken pox. Trump says measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines will be split into three shots:

# Athletics: South Africa finished the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, tenth in the overall standings with eight medals, one gold, three silver and four bronze. This is the country’s largest medal haul at the championships since the national team bagged nine medals in Nairobi in 2021. Some of the standout performances include Jan-Hendrik Heymans winning gold in the men’s javelin, Tumi Ramokgopa bagging silver in both the women’s 100 and 400 metres hurdles, and the men’s four-by-400 metres relay winning silver and setting a new African record.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-18-cents and the euro at 18-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-86-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-75-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-419-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….