News 13:00

BULLETIN 8 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mbeki is confident of the SA G20 summit’s success despite Trump’s absence
# Minister Barbara Creecy applauds Transnet Port Terminals’ operational turnaround
# And rugby: Wholesale changes to the Boks’ team for the Wellington Test with Etzebeth and Pollard left out

# Former president Thabo Mbeki is confident of a seamless G20 leaders’ summit in South Africa despite US president Donald Trump’s decision to skip the event. Trump will instead send vice president JD Vance. The November summit will tackle climate change, trade, and economic recovery, with South Africa prioritising inclusive growth and sustainable development. Speaking in Pretoria, Mbeki stressed that the G20’s strength lies in collective action:

Meanwhile, the Moja Research Institute says Mbeki should not allow former Democratic Republic of Congo president, Joseph Kabila, to whitewash him as a peacemaker and hero. Mbeki and his foundation have come under criticism for inviting representatives of the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 to the second African Peace and Security Dialogue held in Pretoria. The institute’s Grant Harmse says it cannot be forgotten that M23 was responsible for the killing of South African soldiers in the DRC this year:

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy has commended Transnet Port Terminals for its turnaround in operational efficiency. Since June this year, the entity has consistently averaged more than 90-thousand units per week, a sharp improvement from the same period last year, when volumes hovered around 65-thousand. This marks a year-on-year increase of 7.2-percent in container volumes. The department’s spokesperson, Collen Msibi, says this improvement is due to new equipment, focused maintenance and people management:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has made bold changes to the team that will face New Zealand in their second Rugby Championship clash in Wellington on Saturday following the loss in Auckland. There are a new halfback pairing – Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – a new midfield pairing – Damian Willemse and Canan Moodie – a new wing, Ethan Hooker, and a new fullback, Aphelele Fassi. Captain Siya Kolisi returns to flanker. Eben Etzebeth, Handré Pollard, Damian de Allende, Willie le Roux, Jesse Kriel and Marco van Staden are not included.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-55-cents and the euro at 20-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-869-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-613-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Today is International Literacy Day, a day to highlight the critical importance of literacy for creating a more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. This year’s theme is Promoting literacy in the digital era. In 2024, at least 739-million people worldwide still lacked basic literacy skills. At the same time, four in ten children are not reaching minimum proficiency in reading. UNESCO says beyond reading and writing on paper, literacy in the digital era enables people to access, understand, evaluate, create, communicate and engage with digital content safely and appropriately.

Stay tuned for more news………….