News 11:00

BULLETIN 13 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF and the MK Party criticise the ConCourt’s decision on the Phala Phala interdict appeal
# Police deploy specialised teams to a disused Rustenburg mine following the discovery of 14 bodies
# And the WHO warns the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is on track to become the deadliest in history

# The EFF and the MK Party have criticised the Constitutional Court’s refusal to grant direct access for leave to appeal the interim interdict, suspending impeachment proceedings against president Cyril Ramaphosa. Last month, the Western Cape High Court ruled in favour of Ramaphosa to stay proceedings of the impeachment committee until it considers his review application of the Section 89 panel report. The EFF says Parliament cannot have its constitutional powers placed in limbo indefinitely. The MK Party says Ramaphosa will ultimately be held to account.

# Eskom has mobilised additional technical resources across several provinces following electricity supply disruptions caused by severe weather. KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the Free State are among the provinces that have experienced weather-related faults and damage to electricity infrastructure. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says the severe weather has damaged infrastructure, caused multiple network faults and made several affected areas difficult or unsafe to access:

# Acting national police commissioner Puleng Dimpane has deployed additional specialised capacity to support rescue, recovery and investigative operations at a disused mine in Nkaneng near Rustenburg in North West. This follows Tuesday’s recovery of 14 bodies of suspected illegal miners after shaft walls collapsed. Eight survivors were rescued. Spokesperson Nonkululeko Phokane says the operation is supported by specialised expertise, resources and personnel required to effectively manage the investigation and recovery efforts:

Moving abroad:

# The World Health Organisation warns the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could become the deadliest on record. Over two-thousand people have died in the eastern DRC out of over four-thousand-300 recorded cases. The 2014 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa remains the deadliest after claiming over eleven-thousand lives out of 28-thousand cases. WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus says they hope to reverse the spread of the disease within three months:

# Tennis: Defending champion Ben Shelton will face fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the Canadian Open final in Montreal. He defeated compatriot Learner Tien, while Nakashima beat Spaniard Rafael Jodar to book his spot in his first ATP Masters One-thousand final. In the women’s draw in Toronto, world number two, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, will take on Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the final. Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat American Coco Gauff, while Swiatek defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-17-cents and the euro at 18-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-79-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-819-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-379-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….