News 09:00

BULLETIN 13 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa says South Africa has lost an outstanding leader in Gordhan
# The MK Party says the Bela Bill is a step toward inclusive and quality education
# And, Trump has ruled out another presidential debate against Harris

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed sadness at the passing of lifelong activist and former minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan. He passed away in hospital at the age of 75. Gordhan also served as Finance minister, minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service. Ramaphosa says the country has lost an outstanding leader whose unassuming persona belied the depth of intellect, integrity, and energy with which he undertook his activism and his duties in government. Gordhan is survived by his wife Vanitha, and his daughters Anisha and Priyesha.

Meanwhile , the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Neeshan Balton says throughout his career as a political activist, Gordhan remained committed to building and strengthening public institutions to support Constitutional democracy:

# The MK Party says the imminent signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill is a crucial step toward advancing inclusive and quality education. President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to sign the Bela Bill into law today. The party says it strongly supports the introduction of compulsory Grade R education, recognising its importance in setting a strong foundation for future learning. It adds that the move to regulate language policies in schools is a vital measure, to ensure no child is denied quality education based on language barriers.

# Former US president and Republican nominee Donald Trump has rejected a call by vice president and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris for another debate before November’s election. Several instant polls taken after Tuesday’s 90-minute debate on ABC News indicated voters felt Harris had performed better than her Republican opponent. Trump says Harris only wanted a rematch because he clearly won:

# Soccer: The English Premier League’s hearing into Manchester City’s 115 alleged charges will begin on Monday. City, who have won the Premier League for a record-breaking four consecutive seasons, has been charged with breaking financial fair play rules over a nine-year period, which started in 2009 and went on until 2018. City has denied all the charges. If found guilty the reigning champions could face a points deduction serious enough to condemn them to relegation, or even expulsion from the Premier League.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 19-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-32-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-889-dollars-65-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-567-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….