News 16:00

BULLETIN 27 November 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Road Accident Fund blocks 65-million-rand in fraudulent claims
# AfriForum tells a UN forum racialised legislation undermines equality
# And soccer: A controversial English referee is under investigation again

# The Road Accident Fund prevented 65-million-rand in fraudulent claims over three years, rejecting two-thousand-and-31 cases. Recent successes include a five-year sentence for Siyabulela Kima over an 8.3-million-rand false claim. RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo emphasised partnerships to combat fraud and safeguard services:

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says despite some improvements in government audit outcomes, a culture of non-compliance in public spending remains entrenched. The Auditor-General’s latest report shows that 35-percent of government entities achieved clean audits, but 32-percent still failed to address issues like irregular and wasteful expenditure. OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage says key departments, such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund and Compensation Fund, continue to produce poor audit results, delaying crucial services. Duvenage calls for stricter enforcement of financial controls to curb ongoing maladministration.

# The GOOD Party has warned of a looming environmental crisis in Cape Town following the suspension of discharge permits for wastewater treatment plants. They state this could lead to untreated sewage being released into rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, worsening pollution and health risks. The party’s Kaden Arguile is calling for urgent action from both local and national government to address the situation before it escalates into a public health disaster:

# AfriForum says laws like the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and Employment Equity Act have increased inequality and excluded minority communities from economic activity. Speaking at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, which concludes today, the civil rights group’s Alana Bailey called for reforms, including sunset clauses and broader empowerment incentives, to promote fairness and economic growth:

# Soccer: England’s governing body is investigating another allegation against controversial referee David Coote, this time that he discussed giving a yellow card to a player even before the match started. Coote had been suspended by Professional Game Match Officials Limited as well as European governing body UEFA. This followed after he allegedly made disparaging remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and over the appearance of a video showing him sniffing a white powder. Coote says he never let his personal life affect his on-field decision-making.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-15-cents and the euro at 19-rand-9-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-272-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-653-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….