News 11:00

BULLETIN 16 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The reforms implemented now will define the economic trajectory for the next decade
# The Death toll from the Limpopo accident involving inmates has risen to nine
# And tennis: Alcaraz is through to the Cincinnati Open semifinals, while Sabalenka is knocked out

# Deputy minister of Finance, Ashor Sarupen, says policy reforms are imperative in South Africa, considering the critical role they play in unlocking economic potential and improving service delivery. Business Leadership South Africa has launched the Reform Tracker, an innovative online platform designed to monitor and assess the progress of key government reforms. The tracker evaluates nearly 240 reform deliverables across three categories: criminal justice, governance, and economic reforms. Sarupen says reforms are the most direct route to raising the country’s potential growth rate, increasing competitiveness, and creating jobs.

# The DA is calling on Tourism minister Patricia de Lille to urgently account to Parliament following the precautionary suspension of SA Tourism CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe. Her suspension follows serious allegations of misconduct. However, the minister stated that the SA Tourism board’s decision to place Guliwe on suspension is unlawful. The DA’s Haseena Ismail says it cannot be that the minister attacks the board while giving no attention to the serious allegations against the CEO:

# The death toll from Thursday’s accident that involved a police van and a heavy-duty truck on R101 Road in Limpopo has risen to nine. The police van was transporting eleven inmates to court when it collided with the truck, killing six inmates and one police officer. Police spokesperson, Hlulani Mashaba, says two more inmates who had been admitted to hospital following the collision have succumbed to their injuries:

# The chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Home Affairs, Mosa Chabane, has condemned the fire at the department’s offices in Germiston on the Gauteng East Rand, urging swift investigation and prosecution. Two more accused, 30-year-old Malwande Tukula and 64-year-old Mandisa Mboxwana, were arrested, bringing the total to four. Tukula and Mboxwana appeared in the local Magistrate’s Court on a charge of public violence. Chabane warned the destruction disrupts vital services, praising the department’s rapid response with mobile service trucks and nearby offices to ensure continued service delivery.

# United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, says it is regrettable that despite earnest efforts to reach an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, negotiations concluded without achieving a consensus. For the past two weeks, delegates from 183 nations participated in the negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. The world produces around 350-million tonnes of plastic waste each year. UN chief spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, says despite no deal being reached, it is encouraging that countries have agreed to resume discussions soon:

# And tennis: World number two Carlos Alcaraz has set up a mouthwatering semifinal clash with world number three Alexander Zverev of Germany in the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard battled past Russia’s Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, while Zverev saw off American Ben Shelton, 6-2, 6-2. In the women’s draw, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan knocked out defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, 6-1, 6-4. She will face Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, who beat Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, 6-3, 6-4. Italian Jasmine Paolini defeated American Coco Gauff, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Stay tuned for more news………….