News 11:00

BULLETIN 16 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Shivambu’s departure could lead to the EFF’s decline
# Cosatu backs the call for more funding to address the detective shortage in the police
# And rugby: Elrigh Louw is expecting a huge response from the Wallabies tomorrow

# The departure of Floyd Shivambu from the EFF could have significant implications for the party’s future and its position in South African politics. This is according to political analyst Levy Ndou. The EFF’s deputy president and founding member resigned yesterday to join the MK Party. His departure comes after the EFF was dislodged as the third-largest political party in the country. Ndou says Shivambu’s absence could lead to the EFF’s decline, as he was a major force in providing political and ideological clarity in the party.

# Cosatu has thrown its support behind Police minister Senzo Mchunu’s plea for additional funding to address the critical shortage of detectives. Since 2018, nearly 300-thousand unsolved cases, including 76-thousand-655 murders, have been closed due to insufficient evidence. Spokesperson Zanele Sabela warns that the shortage of skilled personnel hampers crime-fighting efforts, and calls for urgent investment in police resources:

# The DA in Gauteng says premier Panyaza Lesufi has not offered any solutions to the service delivery issues faced by residents. The premier delivered his state of the province address yesterday evening, where he made promises to deal with a range of challenges, including unemployment, crime, and poor infrastructure. DA provincial leader, Solly Msimanga, says as expected Lesufi kept on making promises that will never materialise:

# Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been elected as Thailand’s 31st prime minister after securing enough votes in Parliament. The vote came just days after the Constitutional Court removed former prime minister Srettha Thavisin from office. Shinawatra is the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup. At 37 years old, she is the youngest prime minister to lead Thailand, and the second woman after her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra to hold the position.

# Rugby: Springbok number eight Elrigh Louw says they expect a massive onslaught from Australia in the second round of the Rugby Championship in Perth tomorrow. The Boks demolished the Wallabies 33-7 in Brisbane last weekend. Louw is one of five players who retained their places in the Boks’ starting line-up and is set to make a second start for the world champions. He says Australia will sharpen up their game, but it is important that they just execute their game to the best of their ability.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-93-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-487-dollars-87-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-453-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….