News 06:00

BULLETIN 2 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Tatjana Smith wins silver in Paris to become one of South Africa’s  greatest-ever Olympians
# The Justice ministry calls for strict action following allegations of racism in schools
# And the US and Russia carry out a historic prisoner exchange

# Olympic Games: Swimming star Tatjana Smith won silver in the women’s 200-metre breaststroke in Paris, officially becoming one of South Africa’s greatest-ever Olympians. She was beaten to the wall by American Kate Douglass with Tes Schouten of the Netherlands in third. Smith won gold in the 100-metre breaststroke earlier this week. Her training partner Kayleen Corbett finished seventh. In the men’s 200-metre backstroke, South Africa’s Pieter Coetzé finished seventh. Smith says it was a tough battle with Douglass:

# The DA says the recently signed Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act fails to ensure adequate parliamentary oversight and independence for the appointment of the IPID executive director. The party argues the act fails to meet the Constitutional Court’s directive for robust oversight to guarantee the executive director’s independence. The DA’s Ian Cameron proposes an independent panel led by a retired judge for selection processes:

# The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has condemned racism allegations at Pretoria High School for Girls, Table View High, and Pinelands High in the Western Cape. Allegations include offensive WhatsApp messages, the use of racial slurs, and a slave auction incident. The department is alarmed by the incidents and demands strict disciplinary measures. They aim to combat racism and hate crimes through the national action plan, collaborating with relevant bodies to address these issues and promote constitutional rights.

# The Department of Social Development has tackled the foster care order backlog with new measures, including a Foster Care Monitoring Tool. This web-based system tracks and manages foster care placements and renewals. Recent legal reforms, like the Social Assistance Amendment Act and the Children’s Amendment Act, have also bolstered child protection. Director of Child Protection at the department, Neliswa Cekiso, highlights these advancements in ensuring proper care for vulnerable children.

# The Public Servants Association is calling for immediate action to enhance safety protocols for scholar transport and railway crossings. This comes after six children died after a train hit their scholar transport bus at Wonderfontein outside Middelburg, Mpumalanga, on Wednesday. Preliminary findings are the bus driver tried entering or crossing the railway when the train was too close. The association says enhanced training for drivers responsible for transporting learners is also essential.

# Four US citizens are among 16 prisoners released from Russia as part of the biggest prison exchange between the two countries since the Cold War. They include US Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Eight Russians held in the US, Norway, Slovenia, Poland, and Germany, including convicted Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, were returned to Moscow in exchange. US president Joe Biden says this deal is a feat of diplomacy:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-28-cents and the euro at 19-rand-73-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-431-dollars-21-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-445-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….