News 06:00

BULLETIN 8 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Estina dairy farm case is struck off the roll
# The representation of women in Parliament has declined after the elections
# And Olympic Games: Wayde van Niekerk fails to make the 200-metre final

# The Free State High Court has struck off the roll the 280-million-rand Estina Dairy farm case. This follows the defence application where they argued that the state has not made full disclosure of its investigation including the so-called Gupta leaked emails. The case emanates from the alleged looting of state funds with key suspects including former Free State MEC for Agriculture, Mosebenzi Zwane, and Gupta associates. National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, says it will reinstate this case as soon as possible:

# The overall drop in the ANC’s majority following the May elections has contributed significantly to the decline in women’s representation in the National Assembly. This is according to a gender audit of the elections. The overall representation of women dropped from 46-percent in 2019 to 43-percent after the polls. According to the audit, the EFF and ANC have a bigger representation of women in Parliament than other parties at 54-percent and 53-percent respectively. GOOD is the only party in Parliament led by a woman.

# The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities has welcomed the arrest of pastor Paseka Mboro Motsoeneng and co-accused for violence. The accused intimidated teachers and learners with weapons at Matsediso Primary School in Katlehong. The commission expressed regret that a religious leader failed to seek better alternatives. Concerns were also raised over the potential trauma for learners and educators. The commission calls for leaders to uphold high moral standards and for a swift investigation.

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is urging president Cyril Ramaphosa not to sign the Public Procurement Bill, warning it could impede local service delivery and undermine municipal autonomy. Hill-Lewis argues the Bill introduces excessive red tape, centralises procurement, and disrupts infrastructure investment. He has threatened to challenge the bill constitutionally if it is enacted as is: 

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will today embark on a working visit to Angola to meet with president João Lourenço. The visit will focus on strengthening bilateral relations, reflecting on their historical ties, forged during the liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the leaders will also address the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has seen a deteriorating security situation since last year:  

# Olympic Games: South Africa’s 400-meter world record holder, Wayde van Niekerk, and Shaun Maswanganyi failed to make the men’s 200-metre final in Paris. Van Niekerk finished seventh in his heat with Maswanganyi finishing fourth. Miranda Coetzee finished last in heat three of the women’s 400-metre semifinals. In diving, Julia Vincent qualified for the women’s three-metre springboard semifinal, while in canoeing, Hamish Lovemore went through to the semifinals of the men’s kayak single one-thousand-metre.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-39-cents and the euro at 20-rand-12-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 55-thousand-57-dollars-3-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-384-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….