News 08:00

BULLETIN 30 September 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The US ambassador is again demarched for “undiplomatic conduct”
# The DA leader says Ramaphosa’s gender violence plan must stand the test of time
# And, prime minister Burnham vows to put Britain on a new path

# The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has demarched US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell for a third time in nine months. He has been called to explain what the department describes as “undiplomatic conduct”. This comes after he penned an op-ed, criticising president Cyril Ramaphosa and his government for ignoring president Donald Trump administration’s five asks. These are condemning the ‘Kill the Boer!’ chant, prioritising rural crime, scrapping expropriation without compensation, exempting US companies from Black Economic Empowerment, and Pretoria not interfering with Trump’s programme offering refugees status to white Afrikaners.

# DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis says president Cyril Ramaphosa has been announcing emergency responses to gender-based violence and femicide since 2019, but nothing has changed. In an address to the nation last night, the president announced four measures aimed at strengthening government’s response to gender-based violence and femicide. These include an audit of cases involving women and children, and an order for municipalities to identify risks to women’s safety. Hill-Lewis says these measures must be judged by implementation, not just the empty election promises Ramaphosa has made.

# The 228-million-rand Medicare 24 corruption case is awaiting a decision from a National Prosecuting Authority review panel. Businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and 15 others face corruption charges over the alleged irregular awarding of the Medicare 24 Tshwane District contract. The spokesperson of the Investigating Directorate against Corruption, Henry Mamothame, says the Pretoria Regional Court postponed the matter to 17 November for the panel to complete its assessment and the NPA to decide on the way forward:

# UK prime minister Andy Burnham says his agenda will break the mould of the last 40 years and put Britain on a new path. In his first Labour Party conference speech as prime minister, he vowed to pave the way for greater public control over housing, water and energy services. Burnham promised to reform the UK’s electoral system, so that everyone’s vote counts and voice is heard. He also stated that he will set out plans for a longer-term relationship with the European Union:

# Soccer: The English Premier League says Manchester City arranged “sham” contracts with a number of its commercial partners, as part of a disguised funding scheme to grossly inflate the club’s revenues by around 18-billion-rand. An independent commission found City guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons. During this period, City won three Premier League titles. In a leaked video sent to staff and players, Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano denied any wrongdoing:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 18-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-68-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 83-thousand-204-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-178-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 100-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….