News 15:00

BULLETIN 4 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Malusi Gigaba remains the Defence committee co-chair after the speaker’s ruling
# JD Vance says the midterm elections are between two choices: crazy or common sense
# And tennis: Nick Kyrgios is cleared to play after serving a one-month suspension

# National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza has ruled the ANC’s attempt to replace Malusi Gigaba as co-chairperson of Parliament’s joint standing committee on Defence was procedurally incorrect. She says her office received no formal communication that Gigaba had been removed, nor a resignation from him before another ANC member of Parliament was appointed in his place. The EFF and the DA had challenged the process during a chaotic committee meeting. Gigaba therefore remains co-chairperson pending a proper process.

# The Recycling Association of South Africa is calling for the suspension of the Price Preference System governing scrap metal exports. The association says the policy forces recyclers to offer scrap to local steel mills at a 30-percent discount, while steel imports continue rising. The organisation says primary steel imports increased 36-percent year-on-year in July, with Zimbabwe supplying large volumes of billets, rod and rebar. The association is calling for an independent review and investigation of the policy’s impact.

# The Water and Sanitation Department is calling on South Africans to rethink how water is used during celebrations and everyday life. This follows widespread water wastage during Spring Day activities where people were throwing water at each other. Spokesperson Wisane Mavasa says this concern is even more pressing as South Africa anticipates the effects of El Niño, which can bring higher temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and drier conditions:

Moving abroad:

# US vice president JD Vance says November’s midterm elections present a clear choice between crazy and common sense. Seats will be decided in Congress and state and local offices. Polls show states such as Texas, Ohio and Alaska the Republicans comfortably carried in 2024, have become key battlegrounds. Vance says Democrats want to open borders, raise taxes, and allow criminals to roam free, while Republicans are fighting for a better America:

# Tennis: Australian Nick Kyrgios has accepted ‌and served a reduced, one-month ban after testing positive ‌for cocaine. The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended early last month after a sample he submitted during the Mallorca Open in Spain in June was found to contain a metabolite of cocaine. Kyrgios admitted to using cocaine at a nightclub. He entered into a treatment programme approved by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to ​reduce the three-month default suspension. Kyrgios’ one-month ban ended yesterday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-97-cents and the euro at 18-rand-56-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 81-thousand-356-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-466-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 97-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….