News 18:00

BULLETIN 19 August 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Justice Sisi Khampepe says an inquiry signals a renewed commitment to truth, justice, and reconciliation
# Switzerland will grant Putin immunity if he attended Ukrainian peace talks there
# And rugby: The All Blacks’ coach expects the Boks to return to their DNA after the Ellis Park humiliation

# Retired Constitutional Court Justice Sisi Khampepe says the new judicial commission of inquiry into alleged interference in truth and reconciliation cases, signals a renewed commitment to truth, justice, and reconciliation. Khampepe introduced the panel assisting her, including retired judge president Frans Diale Kgomo and advocate Andrea Gabriel, at the Hector Pietersen Memorial in Soweto, Gauteng. She told the media the commission will examine whether efforts were made to block investigations or prosecutions of apartheid-era crimes:

# The South African National Taxi Council has launched a major plan to professionalise the taxi industry and eliminate criminal elements. The initiative focuses on formalising operators, improving training, introducing cashless payments, and strengthening safety measures. Santaco president Abnar Tsebe says they will work with the government, law enforcement, and communities to ensure discipline, protect commuters, and restore public trust in the sector:

# Immigration capacity will nearly double at Cape Town International Airport following a partnership between the Border Management Authority, the Western Cape government, and City of Cape Town. Launched by Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber, premier Alan Winde, and mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, the initiative adds 48 assistant port control officials. This increases staff from 66 to 114, improving border efficiency, boosting tourism, and enhancing national security while supporting local job creation as well as smoother processing.

Moving abroad:

# Switzerland would grant Russian president Vladimir Putin immunity if he attended peace talks on Ukraine, despite the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant. Foreign minister Ignazio Cassis told a news conference Putin would be allowed to set foot in the country. French president Emmanuel Macron raised the possibility of a peace summit between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, being held in a neutral country, maybe Switzerland. Cassis says Switzerland was fully prepared to host such a meeting and highlights the militarily-neutral country’s long expertise in the field.

# Rugby: All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson expects the Springboks to revert to their DNA after last weekend’s humiliating Rugby Championship loss to the Wallabies at Ellis Park. He thinks the world champions will return to their usual strengths of physical dominance and tactical kicking after their experiment of a more expansive ball-in-hand game plan imploded. Robertson says New Zealand won’t alter its approach when the Boks visit them for two Tests next month, after convincingly beating Argentina in the first round.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-66-cents and the euro at 20-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-667-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-335-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-79-cents a barrel. 

Stay tuned for more news………….