News 15:00

BULLETIN 14 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Small Business Development minister urges entrepreneurs to participate in the National Dialogue
# A cross-border hunt ends in the deaths of three suspected police killers in Eswatini
# And golf: Rory McIlroy does not believe being a Ryder Cup playing captain is sustainable

# Small Business Development minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has called on cooperatives and entrepreneurs to participate in the National Dialogue’s first phase in Pretoria, starting tomorrow. This follows withdrawals by legacy foundations, including the Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk Foundations, and groups like AfriForum and Solidarity over funding and transparency concerns. The minister told SABC News small businesses must help shape South Africa’s future through their expertise and vision:

# DRDGold has reported a 26-percent increase in revenue for the year ending in June, reaching eight-billion-rand, driven by a 31-percent rise in the rand gold price. Earnings per share are expected to grow by up to 74-percent compared with last year. The company produced over 155-thousand ounces of gold, and operating costs went up four-percent. The group remains debt-free with cash reserves of 1.3-billion-rand. Capital expenditure fell 24-percent following major project completions.

# Limpopo police have confirmed that four inmates and a police member died when a police van overturned outside Mookgopong this morning. Police spokesperson Hlulani Mashaba says the vehicle was transporting inmates from Mokopane to Mookgopong for a court appearance. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, the South African Police Service and Royal Eswatini Police have tracked three suspects in the murder of Sergeant Lawrence Mtshweni, who was killed in Mpumalanga. The cross-border operation resulted in two suspects being fatally shot and the third taking his own life. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says a reward of 150-thousand-rand remains in place for information on fugitive Jabulani Moyo, suspected of killing two police officers in Roodepoort, Gauteng, earlier this month:

# Golf: Reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy believes being a playing captain at the Ryder Cup is not sustainable, given the amount of work required for the position. The 36-year-old Northern Irishman will play in his eighth Ryder Cup at Bethpage in September, as Europe looks to defend the cup on American soil for the first time since 2012. McIlroy says he has been approached about being a playing captain, but immediately declined the offer:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-56-cents and the euro at 20-rand-53-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 120-thousand-939-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-355-dollars-1-cent a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….