News 11:00

BULLETIN 31 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Mashatile’s office rejects speculation and unverified reports about his health
# Gauteng’s government confirms it had no role in the procurement of Johannesburg’s 41 ambulances
# And tennis: Mariano Navone knocks out Novak Djokovic in the first round of the US Open

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile’s office has rejected speculation and unverified reports about his health, stressing his medical information is private. He was last seen in public on 18 July. Sunday World made several claims about Mashatile’s health, including that he had been admitted to ICU while also raising suspicions that poisoning might have been involved. His spokesperson, Keith Khoza, says Mashatile underwent a minor surgical procedure after falling ill at his Johannesburg home:

# The South African Communist Party says its local government election contest aims to address the crisis of working-class representation, build the productive capacity of the state, and strengthen its provision of public goods and services. The party will field four-thousand-418 ward candidates in the November elections. General secretary Solly Mapaila says its electoral campaign will organise workers and poor communities, fight corruption and crime, strengthen democratic participation and build the organisational foundations of a socialist movement:

# The Gauteng government has confirmed it had no role in the procurement, funding, or acquisition of the City of Johannesburg’s 41 ambulances. Spokesperson Sizwe Pamla says these vehicles were purchased in 2019 by Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services. He says in 2009, the provincial Department of Health began the provincialisation process of taking over ambulance services from local municipalities:

Moving abroad:

# Search and rescue operations are continuing in the Mediterranean Sea after a passenger ferry capsized while travelling from northern Cyprus to Turkey, killing eight people. According to officials, the ferry had been carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it began taking on water after departing the coastal town of Kyrenia in Cyprus. So far, 241 people have been rescued alive, while 18 are still missing. The ship’s captain and crew members have been detained. Turkey has declared three days of national mourning.

# Tennis: Argentina’s Mariano Navone stunned 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the first round of the US Open. The Serbian, who was struggling physically, went down in five sets to the world number 49, marking his first loss in the opening round of a major since 2006. 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev of Russie beat French qualifier Hugo Gaston in straight sets. In the women’s draw, American Jessica Pegula defeated Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse in two sets, while there were also first-round victories for Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Italian Jasmine Paolini.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-15-cents and the euro at 18-rand-71-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-87-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-22-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-440-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….