News 11:00

BULLETIN 18 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Business Leadership South Africa says high unemployment fuels inequality
# The Institute of Race Relations urges churches to confront fake transformation
# And tennis: Swiatek will face Paolini in the final of the Cincinnati Open

# Business Leadership South Africa says the country’s unemployment rate of 32.9-percent reflects an economy suffocating under structural inefficiencies that urgent reforms could fix. The organisation launched its Reform Tracker last week, monitoring the government’s implementation of priority economic, governance, and criminal justice reforms. In her weekly newsletter, CEO Busisiwe Mavuso says the unemployment crisis demands urgent action to preserve the country’s stability and prosperity. She says high unemployment fuels inequality, undermines social cohesion, and erodes faith in democratic institutions.

# The Institute of Race Relations is calling on the South African Council of Churches to reject race-based policies, saying the risk in not doing so threatens the unjust continuation of unnecessary suffering and poverty. The institute has written a letter to the SACC, saying that many citizens pay heed to the moral leadership of the council. The IRR’s Michael Morris says the urgency for true transformation through non-racial, pro-growth reforms cannot be overstated:

# The Gauteng Education Department is aware of concerns about water, electricity, and sanitation challenges at Theresa Park Primary and Secondary Schools. The department has applied to the City of Tshwane for service connections, which remain pending due to rezoning requirements. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says while this process continues, interim provisions have been made, including boreholes for water, generators and solar panels for electricity, septic tanks, flushing mobile ablutions and drinking fountains:

Moving abroad:

# US president Donald Trump says his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, could end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to. Zelensky is set to meet with Trump at the White House today in a meeting which will also be attended by key European leaders. On a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump ruled out allowing Ukraine to join NATO or retake the Crimean Peninsula which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, as part of a negotiated peace deal with Russia.

# Tennis: World number three, Iga Swiatek of Poland, will face Italian Jasmine Paolini in the Cincinnati Open final. Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, swept past Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina while Paolini battled past Russian Veronika Kudermetova in her semifinal. Swiatek has won all five previous matches against Paolini, including last year’s French Open. Meanwhile, the top-two men in the world will face off in the final: defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-61-cents and the euro at 20-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 115-thousand-535-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-350-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….