News 07:00

BULLETIN 6 August 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Mantashe says South Africa must diversify its export markets
# Parliament says the Transport Department is on the right track
# And rugby: Siya Kolisi asks South Africans to support the Bok women during the World Cup

# Mineral and Petroleum Resources minister, Gwede Mantashe, says the 30-percent tariff hike imposed on South African exports to the US is a desperate move from a waning power that senses its influence slipping. Government has warned that the tariffs could put about 30-thousand jobs at risk. The US is South Africa’s third-largest trading partner. Mantashe says the straightforward solution to the problem of US tariff hikes is for South Africa to reduce its reliance on any single market:

# The Forum for South Africa has called on acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia to prioritise fighting corruption within the police service and stay away from political battles. The organisation warns that crime will not decrease while corrupt officers remain in uniform. The forum’s Tebogo Mashilompane urges Cachalia to establish a specialised unit to tackle corrupt officials and stronger protection for whistleblowers:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Transport says the Department of Transport is on the right track to enhance and improve service delivery. The department scored its first clean audit outcome from the Auditor-General in 31-years for the 2024/2025 financial year. Committee chairperson Donald Selamolela says audit outcomes alone do not necessarily translate into satisfaction and improvement for users of the service. He says, therefore, the department must do more and ensure that satisfaction with government services, across the portfolio, is realised.

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has suspended the head of the Department of Community Safety, Nontsikelelo Sisulu, and the chief financial officer, Mduduzi Malope, with immediate effect. This follows the conclusion of a forensic investigation by the Provincial Forensic Audit Unit within the Office of the Premier. The investigation uncovered financial irregularities in the department. Provincial government spokesperson, Vuyo Mhaga, says that through proactive and corrective measures, they will strengthen governance and ensure the ethical and responsible use of public funds:

# The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed ten individuals for closed-door depositions over the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The individuals include former US president Bill Clinton and his wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, six former Attorneys General, including Merrick Garland and William Barr, and two former FBI directors. Lawmakers are seeking information from the Clintons because of the former president’s past ties to Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the early 2000s. The closed-door depositions will be between August and mid-October.

# Rugby: Springbok men’s captain Siya Kolisi has asked South Africans to fully support the national women’s team during the World Cup, starting in England on the 22nd. They play Brazil, Italy and France in Pool D. The Bok women lost all there matches during the previous tournament in 2021, but Kolisi believes they could reach the quarterfinals this year. He praised the team’s improvement over the past few months, with Bok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick saying the women playing as curtainraisers for men’s games gave them bigger exposure.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-88-cents and the euro at 20-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 113-thousand-668-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-378-dollars-82-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-70-cents a barrel.