News 12:00

BULLETIN 18 August 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A gunman is killed after a prolonged standoff with the police outside Robertson
# Rugby: The All Blacks’ coach says they know what to expect from the Springboks
# And an electrician takes the MasterChef title and the one-million-rand prize

# A gunman has been killed following a prolonged armed standoff with police on a farm at De Hoop outside Robertson in the Western Cape. Police initially responded to a complaint but came under fire, prompting Tactical Response Team members to intervene. Spokesperson Nonkululeko Phokane says the situation was later escalated to the Special Task Force, which ended the threat. She says one police official was wounded and is currently recovering:

# The South African Revenue Service has released its value-added tax modernisation consultation paper, kicking off a public consultation process to transition the country toward a digital, near-real-time VAT administration system. SARS proposes an online VAT model that integrates e-invoicing and e-reporting to reposition VAT administration for the economy, make compliance easier and strengthening oversight. Commissioner Johnstone Makhubu says the shift is designed to reduce the administrative burden on compliant businesses while curbing fraud. Interested and affected parties can submit written comments until 16 October.

Moving abroad:

# US envoy Jared Kushner says Hamas could disarm soon, but warns America would support further Israeli military action in Gaza if the militant group does not. He met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, where they agreed to establish two working groups – one on disarmament and the demilitarisation of Gaza, and another on public health issues. Kushner says they were able to address some valid concerns raised by Netanyahu:

# Rugby: All Blacks coach Dave Rennie expects the Springboks to bring a powerful set-piece game and use back-to-back pressure to force mistakes at Ellis Park on Saturday. The tourists go into the series opener with confidence after beating the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls. New Zealand have added Saula Ma’u to their squad after Ollie Norris was ruled out, while Noah Hotham and Richie Mo’unga have also joined. Rennie says his team will play to their strengths:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-26-cents and the euro at 18-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-153-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-388-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-11-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Electrician Andrew “Benji” Benjamin from Kimberley in the Northern Cape has been crowned the winner of MasterChef South Africa’s Season 6, taking home one-million-rand. The 40-year-old home cook beat Durban’s Candice Meth in the tense finale. Benjamin, who works as a high-voltage electrician, won viewers and judges over with his calm approach and cooking skills. The victory marks a major achievement for the home cook, who says his family inspired his culinary journey.

Stay tuned for more news………….