News 11:00

BULLETIN 23 September 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa champions sustainable and responsible nature conservation
# The FF Plus warns about a dangerous precedent in Ekurhuleni’s land expropriation case
# And rugby: The assistant Bok coach says the Argentinians are a dangerous side to face

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says nature knows no political barriers and South Africa is committed to preserving nature for present and future generations. He took part in the Africa Keystone protected area partnership Heads of State Dessert and Champagne reception on Monday, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. Ramaphosa says the 162 existing protected areas in Africa have the potential to collectively make a disproportionately large contribution to biodiversity conservation:

# The MK Party is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently explain the details of the revelations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, before the Madlanga Commission last week. Mkhwanazi claimed that Ramaphosa’s office exerted pressure on National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, to deploy the Special Task Force for the benefit of mining company Richards Bay Minerals. The MK Party says Ramaphosa must disclose the legal basis, costs, and rationale for this deployment, and account to Parliament on how such conduct aligns with his constitutional duty to govern impartially.

# The Freedom Front Plus says the Ekurhuleni Municipality must be prevented in its bid to expropriate land without compensation. The metro has refused to pay for a 34-hectare property it seized for housing development in Driefontein in 2019. At the time, the property was valued at no less than 30-million-rand, with later independent valuations running as high as 64-million-rand. FF Plus leader, Corné Mulder, says it is clear that no privately owned land in South Africa is safe:

# The Gaza health ministry said two Gaza City hospitals have been taken out of service due to Israel’s escalation of its ground offensive and damage caused by continued Israeli bombing, as tanks advanced deeper into the territory. The ministry said in its statement Al-Rantissi Children’s Hospital was badly damaged a few days ago by an Israeli bombardment. At the same time, it reported Israeli attacks in the vicinity of the nearby Eye Hospital, which forced the suspension of services there, too.

# Rugby: Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown says it is vital they deliver a quality 80-minute performance against Argentina to get the desired result. South Africa face the Los Pumas in their penultimate Rugby Championship match in Durban on Saturday. All four participating teams, the Wallabies, Boks, All Blacks, and Pumas, are still in the title race heading into the final two rounds. Brown says Argentina are a dangerous side to face:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-36-cents and the euro at 20-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-999-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-752-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….