News 06:00

BULLETIN 2 September 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mpumelelo Mhlongo secures SA’s first medal at the Paralympic Games
# Paul Mashatile says the killing of police members is treason
# And AfriForum says the court ruling on mining without compensation sets a dangerous precedent

# We start this bulletin with news from the Paralympic Games: Sprinter Mpumelelo Mhlongo won gold in the men’s T44 100-meter final, securing South Africa’s first medal at the Games in Paris. He won in the season-best time of 11.12-seconds ahead of Yamel Vives Suares of Cuba who took the silver and Eddy Bernard of Malaysia who claimed bronze. Meanwhile, Khumo Pitso finished fifth in the men’s T24 high jump final, while Liezel Gouws finished eighth in the women’s T37 long jump.

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says criminals have become brazen in their desperate attempts to achieve their criminal intents. He delivered the keynote address at the police’s annual commemoration day to honour and pay tribute to men and women in blue who died in the line of duty. The event was held at the Police Memorial at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. In the 2023/2024 financial year, 39 police members were killed in the line of duty. Mashatile says the killing of police members is equal to treason:

Meanwhile, Police minister Senzo Mchunu says they are exploring the possibility of how they can assist families in laying civil claims against those responsible for the murder of police officers. Speaking at the same function in Pretoria, Mchunu says criminals cannot become part of governance:

# AfriForum has raised concern after a recent ruling in the High Court in Mpumalanga allowing mining operations on a Delmas farmer’s land without a compensation agreement. AfriForum and the family farmers’ network, Saai, warn this decision could have severe implications for agriculture in South Africa. Despite no compensation deal, the court permitted the mine to proceed, potentially jeopardising food security and setting a troubling legal precedent. AfriForum’s Marais de Vaal says the organisation is seeking a legal opinion on the ruling’s broader impact.

# The DA in Gauteng has slammed the Gauteng Department of Education after discovering that thousands of learners are going hungry due to a failed one-billion-rand feeding scheme tender. During an oversight visit to GR Harris Primary School in Bosmont, the DA found that the school had not received vegetables for three weeks, leaving only a limited supply of rice, chicken livers, and soya. The DA demands immediate action to address this crisis.

# The Israel Defence Force says it recovered the bodies of six hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza including an Israeli-American captive. The bodies were located in an underground tunnel in the Rafah area of southern Gaza. Reportedly three of the six whose bodies were recovered had been expected to be released during the first phase of an eventual ceasefire agreement. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says they will not rest until those responsible for their killing are brought to justice.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 19-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-363-dollars-88-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-503-dollars-31-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….