News 18:00

BULLETIN 26 August 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel seeks public input on electoral system reform
# Government plans to strengthen the office of disclosure to combat data quality issues in the housing sector
# And, soccer: Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson dies aged 76

# The Electoral Reform Consultation Panel is calling for public submissions on proposals to reform South Africa’s electoral system for the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. Chaired by Richard Sizani, the panel invites individuals, organisations, and political parties to submit their views by 30 September. This initiative is part of the panel’s mandate to explore potential electoral reforms following the 2024 elections. The submissions must address whether the current electoral system should be reformed, changed, or even replaced.

# The Department of Human Settlements plans to bolster the Office of Disclosure to address data quality issues in the housing sector. The focus will be on enhancing the office’s investigative powers, increasing penalties for non-compliance, and improving audit requirements. Briefing the media, Human Settlements minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi says these measures tackle data duplication and incomplete submissions to enhance home loan monitoring and support housing improvements:

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has apologised for suggesting the employment of documented foreign nationals in the Johannesburg Metro Police Department to address language barriers. His comments, made at an ANC Lekgotla, sparked outrage on social media, civil society, political parties, and Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi. Following widespread criticism, the mayor has retracted the proposal, acknowledging concerns over Johannesburg’s unemployment crisis:

# Italian authorities are questioning the captain of the sunken superyacht after last Monday’s disaster off Sicily. Seven passengers drowned when the anchored British-flagged Bayesian capsized when it encountered a water spout, and sunk within a minute. The captain, 51-year-old James Cutfield, and 14 other people on board survived. New Zealand-born Cutland is reportedly investigated for possible manslaughter and shipwreck charges. Sky News also says a crew member who was on duty, may also be investigated.

# Soccer: Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson died at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with cancer in January. The Swede ended his playing career at the age of 27 and switched to coaching. He managed  England from 2001 to 2006, and also had stints with clubs such as Benfica, Roma and Manchester City. A documentary on his life, named “Sven”, was released earlier this month. At the end he said “Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds, it’s been fantastic.”

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 19-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-38-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-450-dollars-19-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-516-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-47-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….