News 12:00

BULLETIN 11 August 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Forum for South Africa says the National Dialogue is a vehicle for looting
# Australia is the latest country to announce its intention to recognise a Palestinian state
# And rugby: The Boks are ready for the expected Wallabies onslaught

# Forum for South Africa says government is using the National Dialogue as a strategy to shift focus from holding those in power accountable. The dialogue is set to kick off with a two-day National Convention at the University of South Africa in Pretoria on Friday and Saturday. The forum’s leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says they see the dialogue as a vehicle for looting, adding that the starting point should be to deal with the corrupt:

# Action Society has condemned the planned Section 174 application by the eight VIP Protection Unit officialss accused of assaulting civilians on the N1 in Gauteng in July 2023. Dubbed the Blue Light Mafia, the members face 12 charges, including assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and will appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court again next week. The application seeks dismissal of charges due to alleged insufficient evidence. Action Society calls it a desperate move and insists the case must proceed to judgment.

# The Freedom Front Plus has welcomed the Gauteng High Court’s ruling ordering the Heidelberg Beer Festival to vacate the premises of the Heidelberg Heritage Museum. This is due to illegal occupation, an unpaid 1.3-million-rand debt and safety concerns. The FF Plus’s Mari Boshoff says the owner of the festival, Bouwe Wiersma, established a brewery on the site and sublet buildings to several businesses, including restaurants and a photography company, and hosted festivals on the premises:

Moving abroad:

# Prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced that Australia will recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly next month. Countries including France, the UK and Canada have already announced their plans to formally recognise Palestine as a state in the hopes of bringing peace to the Middle East. Israel has stated this recognition rewards terrorism. Albanese says Australia’s position is predicated on the commitments they have received from the Palestinian Authority:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is confident his team has done their homework fo the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship tour of South Africa. This follows an intense two-week training and conditioning camp in Johannesburg. The Boks will face the Wallabies at Ellis Park this Saturday and a week later in Cape Town. Erasmus stresses the importance of their preparation to match the competitiveness of the Wallabies, the All Blacks and the Pumas, but is pleased with the work the players put in.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 121-thousand-609-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-364-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….