News 06:00

BULLETIN 24 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa unveils the ANC’s election manifesto
# Professor Jonathan Jansen warns South African universities face a governance crisis
# And rugby: The Cheetahs beat Boland to book a home semifinal in the Currie Cup

# ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says the party’s manifesto sets out six key actions, which aim to fix local government, improve basic services and build municipalities that work for the people. He launched the ANC’s 2026 local government election manifesto at Riverside Park in Diepsloot north of Johannesburg yesterday. The six priorities include providing basic services, ensuring sound municipal finances, and building municipalities that listen to residents. Ramaphosa says the manifesto reflects the voices of South Africans:

Ramaphosa also says the party accepts responsibility for both the progress it has made and its shortcomings in governance. Ramaphosa says they will not run away from the challenges facing municipalities, including unreliable services, deteriorating infrastructure, poor leadership, corruption and the appointment of people without the required skills. He says the trust of people cannot be inherited; it must be earned:

# Former rector of the University of the Free State, professor Jonathan Jansen, says South Africa’s public universities continue to face recurring governance crises despite having some of the country’s brightest minds. In his opinion piece on News24, Jansen points to instability at several institutions, warning that the consequences extend beyond leadership disputes to teaching and research. He notes that South Africa has 26 public universities, collectively accounting for more than 110-billion-rand in income, yet several experience serious challenges in any academic year.

# The City of Tshwane has rejected claims that its 2026/27 budget faces a two-billion-rand shortfall for employee costs. The city says the figure reflects the difference between an initial departmental request and the final approved allocation. Tshwane says about 13-billion-rand was approved after affordability reviews, including 229-million-rand for filling vacancies and 362-million-rand for salary back-pay. The city says the allocation is sufficient for anticipated personnel costs, with spending to be closely monitored throughout the financial year.

# Rugby: The Cheetahs have joined the Griquas in securing a Currie Cup home semifinal, after a hard-fought 33-24 victory against an ill-disciplined Boland Kavaliers in Bloemfontein. The visitors, who were leading 10-7 at the break, conceded four yellow cards in the space of ten minutes. Michael Annie ran in two of the Cheetahs’ five tries to secure victory. The Griquas sit top of the log on 26 points, level with the Cheetahs but ahead on points difference, and next weekend’s final pool round will determine who finishes top.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand and the euro at 18-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-83-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-659-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-615-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 94-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

# And finally, if you thought the Olympics were unusual, welcome to the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. More than two-thousand robots from 16 countries are competing in 51 events, ranging from athletics and soccer to dancing and practical tasks. The accompanying World Robot Conference is showcasing more than 300 companies and thousands of robotic products. Among the stars is a robot horse carrying a humanoid rider, while other machines are dancing, playing music and taking part in sports alongside humans. The future, it seems, has arrived — and it’s surprisingly busy.

Stay tuned for more news………….