News 14:00

BULLETIN 15 August 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gayton McKenzie calls for race sensitivity training after the Open Chat Podcast outrage
# Germany tells Israel to stop building settlements on the West Bank
# And rugby: A late change to the Bok team as Boan Venter comes onto the bench for Jan-Hendrik Wessels 

# Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has called for mandatory race sensitivity training for Open Chats Podcast hosts after derogatory remarks about the coloured community sparked outrage. Sinothando Kama and Mthokozisi Mathebula linked the community to incest and mental instability. McKenzie condemned the comments as hate speech, but said he preferred education over imprisonment, stressing he did not want the pair jailed or have criminal records:

# Water and Sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina says emergency water tankering should be insourced by municipalities to curb water mafias. Speaking at the Africa Union-AIP Summit in Cape Town, Majodina called for those sabotaging infrastructure to be charged with treason, warning such acts threaten supply to 63-million people. She urged municipalities to register and license water distributors, ensuring quality and safety while preventing criminal exploitation of water services:

# Teaching and learning in Lotus River in Cape Town have been disrupted following warnings of possible gang retaliation after a man was shot dead on Wednesday. Parents collected children early yesterday, and the learner transport left ahead of schedule. The Western Cape Education Department confirmed schools were closed as a safety precaution, urging parents to rely on official updates. Police patrols have been deployed, while authorities caution against sharing unverified messages on social media to prevent panic.

Moving abroad:

# Germany called on the Israeli government to stop the construction of settlements in the West Bank. This comes as Israel’s far-right Finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said work would start on a plan for thousands of homes that would divide the Palestinian territory. Germany’s Foreign Ministry says in a statement it rejects the Israeli government’s approval of the development. It adds such moves complicate steps towards a negotiated two-state solution and an end to Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has been forced to make a late change to his team that will face Australia in their Rugby Championship opener against Australia at Ellis Park tomorrow. This is due to the withdrawal of Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who suffered a niggle at training on Wednesday which has ruled him out of the match. Prop Boan Venter will provide front-row cover off the bench. He will partner up with Bongi Mbonambi and Asenathi Ntlabakanye as the back-up front row.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-57-cents and the euro at 20-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-23-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-339-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….