News 09:00

BULLETIN 15 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South African Airways places its acting CEO on special leave just four months into the role
# The DA asks for a parliamentary briefing by minister Manamela regarding interventions at NSFAS
# And rugby, a comeback by the Boland Kavaliers stuns the Lions

# South African Airways has placed acting CEO John Seshibe on special leave, pending the outcome of an internal process, just four months after he took over the airline’s top executive role. The move comes amid questions about leadership and governance at the state-owned carrier. SAA’s chief legal officer, Koekie Mbeki, will step into the acting CEO role. Seshibe was appointed acting CEO earlier this year following the departure of the previous chief executive. The latest development adds to ongoing scrutiny of SAA’s management and turnaround efforts.

# The DA has delivered an urgent letter to the Parliament Higher Education and Training Portfolio Committee, requesting that the minister Buti Manamela to brief Parliament on his intervention at National Student Financial Aid Scheme. This comes after the Pretoria High Court ruling to suspend the appointment of Hlengani Mathebula as NSFAS Administrator. The DA’s Delmaine Christians says the party is also demanding assurances that students’ funding, appeals, accommodation payments and other NSFAS obligations will continue without disruption during the transition:

Meanwhile, the MK Party has welcomed this judgement as well as the judgement to reinstate the disbanded NSFAS board. Minister Manamela dissolved the board and placed the entity under administration in May this year. The MK Party is calling for the immediate recovery of all payments made to the advisors appointed by Mathebula as they were carried out in a legally and procedurally defective process.

# Tshwane Executive Mayor, Nasiphi Moya, has denied allegations that a company doing business with the city carried out renovations at her private home. Her spokesperson, Samkelo Mgobozi, says Tlopo Construction did not build her swimming pool or undertake any other work at the property and the allegations are false. He says Moya has become increasingly concerned by what appears to be a coordinated effort by political opponents in Tshwane to spread false accusations:

# Italian police have recovered three paintings by French masters Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse, stolen from a museum near Parma in March. The Carabinieri’s cultural heritage unit recovered the artworks following a complex investigation. Their combined value is estimated at more than 168-million-rand. Police also released footage showing two masked burglars entering the Magnani Rocca Foundation through a window and stealing the paintings in less than three minutes. The recovered works include Cézanne’s Cup and Plate of Cherries, Renoir’s The Fish, and Matisse’s Odalisque on the Terrace.

# And rugby: The Boland Kavaliers produced a stunning comeback in the Currie Cup, overturning a 17-nil deficit to beat the Lions 38-29 at Wits Stadium. The Lions raced into an early lead after the Kavaliers were reduced to 14 men, but the visitors fought back strongly. Mthokozisi Gumede scored two tries, while Keagan Smith also crossed twice for the Lions. Replacement James Tedder sealed victory with a late penalty. The bonus-point win lifts Boland to third on the log, with two rounds remaining and their playoff hopes firmly alive.

Stay tuned for more news………….