News 06:00

BULLETIN 16 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mzwanele Manyi says the MK Party is better suited to recapture the country
# AfriForum hails the limiting of the Human Rights Commission’s enforceable powers
# And several people are arrested over the death of Matthew Perry

# Former EFF member of Parliament Mzwanele Manyi believes the MK Party is more equipped to implement land expropriation without compensation, and policies similar to those of the EFF. He together with EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu have resigned from the party to join former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party. Manyi says MK is better suited to recapture the country from what he describes as imperialists. He adds that there is momentum with the party and they need to capitalise on this.

# AfriForum has welcomed a Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that limits the South African Human Rights Commission’s powers, stating that its findings are not legally binding and must be enforced by a court. The case involved a dispute between the commission and agricultural company AgroData over access to borehole water. AfriForum’s Louis Boshoff views the judgment as a vital win for maintaining constitutional balance and preventing the commission from overstepping its mandate:

# The UDM says it wants stability in Johannesburg for at least two years. This comes as the city will have a new mayor today following the resignation of Kabelo Gwamanda. The ANC’s Dada Morero is set to be elected as mayor and as things currently stand, the party has 148 votes on its side, more than the required 136, to elect Morero. UDM’s secretary-general, Yongama Zigebe, says the chopping and changing of mayors brings instability and residents are affected the most.

# The DA in the Eastern Cape has expressed its concern about the provincial Health Department’s deepening cash flow crisis. From a budget of 30.1-billion-rand for the 2024/2025 financial year, 6.2-billion-rand was owed for payables and accruals to service providers and suppliers from the previous financial year. Only 1.8-billion-rand is used to cover surgical supplies, medical equipment, and linen amongst other things. The DA’s, Jane Cowley, says this is not just a budget issue but a human tragedy unfolding in real-time:

# Several people have been arrested in connection with the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry in a swimming pool at his home in California in October last year. The coroner found the 54-year-old died as a result of the acute effects of ketamine, a sedative used to treat depression or as a recreational drug. In May it was announced authorities were investigating the source of the ketamine, while several media reported the suspects were a doctor and drug dealers.

# Olympic Games: The Court of Arbitration for Sport has refuted claims it was biased when it decided against USA Gymnastics’ appeal against the International Gymnastics Federation’s decision to upgrade Romania’s Ana Barbosu from fourth to third in the women’s floor final. This meant American gymnast Jordan Chiles lost out on a medal. The court upheld Romania’s appeal that the USA challenged a score outside the one-minute limit. American media alleged the head of the court’s panel deciding on the issue had links to Romania.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-98-cents and the euro at 19-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-659-dollars-68-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-457-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-92-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….