News 08:00

BULLETIN 4 August 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Steenhuisen intervenes at the South African Veterinary Council
# The Border Management Authority introduces new security measures on passports
# And over 60 Ethiopian migrants are dead, and dozens are missing after a boat capsized near Yemen

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has requested a full report on the recent election process of the South African Veterinary Council. This comes after concerns have been raised about the transparency and procedural integrity of the process. The ministry’s spokesperson, Joylene van Wyk, says these include inconsistent and conflicting communications to registered veterinary professionals regarding voting deadlines, eligibility of certain candidates, and the fairness and independence of the verification process:

 # The Border Management Authority commissioner, Michael Masiapato, says the authority has introduced new security stamps at South Africa’s ports of entry, replacing the old vulnerable stamps. He says in the past few months, the BMA observed widespread misuse of these stamps with individuals illegally stamping people’s passports with fraudulently reproduced stamps. The commissioner says this initiative forms part of the BMA’s broader commitment to strengthening national security and the border management ecosystem were consulted and engaged on the matter:

# The KwaZulu-Natal delegation to the National Council of Provinces will meet with provincial Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi today. This comes as Mkhwanazi alleged criminal syndicates have infiltrated the highest levels of government. He has also accused Police minister Senzo Mchunu, who has been placed on special leave, of corruption. NCOP KZN delegation leader, Mzamo Billy, told Newzroom Afrika that the engagement will focus on identifying key areas of cooperation between Parliament and SAPS in the province:

# Sixty-eight Ethiopian migrants have died, and 74 others are missing after a boat capsized off Yemen’s coast on Sunday. According to the International Organisation for Migration, the vessel had 154 migrants onboard, 54 bodies washed ashore in the district of Khanfar, while 14 others were found dead and taken to a morgue. Only 12 survived the shipwreck, and the rest were missing and presumed dead. Local authorities say a massive search-and-rescue operation is ongoing. Over 60-thousand refugees and migrants arrived in Yemen in 2024.

# Cricket: England reached 339 for six in their second innings at stumps on day four of the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval, needing another 35 runs to win the series. The visitors require four wickets to draw the series. Harry Brook and Joe Root shared a 195-run fourth-wicket partnership to help England get close to the winning target. However, Prasidh Krishna took two quick wickets in the final session to keep India in the game, as rain wiped out the final hour’s play.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-3-cents and the euro at 20-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-658-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-356-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….