News 06:00

BULLETIN 12 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula wants the disciplinary processes against three senior ANC members to resume
# Ace Magashule’s former PA will make her first court appearance today
# And Olympic Games: The Sports Committee is satisfied with the performance of Team SA in Paris

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has reportedly written to the party’s integrity commission, asking it to resume disciplinary processes against Malusi Gigaba, David Mahlobo, and Cedric Frolick. The three were among the almost 100 members the commission recommended that should be excluded from the party’s election candidate lists. Some were implicated in corruption and widespread state capture. However, the national executive committee went against the recommendation. ANC Veterans League president, Snuki Zikalala, told the Sunday Times that action will be taken against those found wanting on state capture.

# Former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s ex-personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court today, after being successfully deported from the US last week Thursday. She is one of the accused, alongside Magashule in the 255-million-rand asbestos scandal. Cholota was initially a key witness in the case but was charged after refusing to cooperate with the State. She faces charges including fraud, corruption, and money laundering. Cholota’s legal team is optimistic about securing bail.

# National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa says capitalism is the new apartheid. The union says under apartheid being black was a barrier to quality education, quality healthcare, and a life of dignity. Numsa’s spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi-Majola, says South Africans now need to be wealthy to experience the benefits of freedom. Hlubi-Majola says without a decent income, the working class is blocked from achieving a life of dignity and genuine equality:

# Gauteng’s MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane, says the 2025 online admissions application deadline for Grades 1 and Grade 8 has been extended to Wednesday midnight. This follows the State Information Technology Agency’s upgrade of its data centre electrical infrastructure, which necessitated a complete shutdown of all systems last week Thursday. Chiloane says as a result of the maintenance, the online admissions system was temporarily inaccessible to applicants:

# Russia’s foreign ministry has warned its army will deliver a tough response to the Ukrainian cross-border incursion into the Kursk region. This is the deepest raid into Russia since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Over 70-thousand people have been evacuated from the area. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country was pushing the war to the aggressor’s territory. Military experts say this incursion is likely intended to draw Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

# Olympic Games: Parliament’s portfolio committee on Sports, Arts, and Culture has noted with appreciation the commendable performance of Team South Africa in Paris. The committee’s chairperson, Joe McGluwa, says it is sport that brought the country together. McCluwa also admits there is still much to be done to ensure that athletes receive the necessary support to ensure and to better the number of Olympic medals:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-29-cents and the euro at 19-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-33-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-6-dollars-41-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-427-dollars-63-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….