News 07:00

BULLETIN 15 September 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission is comfortable with the rates being paid to evidence leaders
# Netanyahu says Israel’s alliance with the US has never been stronger
# And cricket: South Africa and England draw the series after the final T20 is abandoned due to rain

# The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has dismissed allegations that investigators and evidence leaders will be paid more than the normal rates. The estimated cost of the commission has been set at 147.9-million-rand, however, this fee is expected to increase, as the commission is unlikely to conclude its work within six months. The investigators and evidence leaders will be paid over 64-million-rand within six months. The commission says the rates being paid to evidence leaders are reasonable and in line with the requirements of the legal sector code.

# Justice and Constitutional Development minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, says the Gallows Exhumation Project recovered all the bodies of those who were hanged as political prisoners and assisted their families to bury them at home with dignity. Kubayi says the Exile Repatriation Project will continue to do its work recovering the remains of people who were killed going to exile, killed in police custody, and buried in shallow graves:

# The Gauteng Human Settlements Department has condemned the misleading information by some media reports suggesting that the housing backlog in the province stands at 1.4-million. The department’s spokesperson, Tahir Sema says the figure of 1.4-million is not an accurate reflection of the actual backlog. He says it represents the number of names recorded on the National Housing Needs Register which is open to all residents even those who don’t qualify:

# US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday. This is in the wake of Israel’s unprecedented strike on a Hamas meeting in Qatar last week, a key American ally in the region. Rubio’s visit comes as Israeli forces continue to destroy residential buildings in Gaza City, forcing thousands to flee ahead of an expected ground offensive to seize the city. Netanyahu, who took Rubio on a tour of the Western Wall, says the US-Israeli relationship is strong:

# Cricket: The series-deciding third T20 between South Africa and England at Trent Bridge on Sunday was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of rain. The Proteas won a rain-affected series opener at Cardiff by 14 runs, with Harry Brook’s side levelling it up with a record-breaking 146-run victory at Old Trafford. The South African squad will now prepare for the start of the domestic season, as well as a multi-format tour of Pakistan in October, including the defence of their World Test Championship title with two Tests.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-37-cents and the euro at 20-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-55-cents and Bitcoin trades at 115-thousand-78-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-631-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-93-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Today is International Day of Democracy, an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. This year’s theme is Ensuring Effective Governance of AI at All Levels. It highlights the growing importance of artificial intelligence in shaping democratic processes and governance worldwide. United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, says democracy is powered by the will of the people, their voices, choices, and their participation:

Stay tuned for more news………….