News 06:00

BULLETIN 21 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Nersa is going to review the High Court ruling on municipal tariffs
# AfriForum demands an investigation into the illegal military camp in Mpumalanga
# And cricket: Two pitches in T20 World Cup are rated unsatisfactory

# The National Energy Regulator of South Africa says it will review a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria that mandates municipal tariff approvals be based on cost of supply studies. This follows the court’s denial of the appeal by Nersa and the municipal association SALGA. The court’s decision requires the regulator to adjust its approach to evaluating municipal tariffs. The regulator’s spokesperson Charles Hlebela says they will examine the judgment thoroughly before deciding on further actions:  

# The High Court in Pretoria heard that former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane did not meet the requirements for a gratuity payment. She is challenging the Office of the Public Protector’s refusal to pay her ten-million-rand gratuity after the National Assembly impeached her for misconduct and incompetence. Representing the Office of the Public Protector, advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi, rubbished Mkhwebane’s legal team’s argument that her removal from office was irrelevant to her receiving the gratuity payment. Judge Omphemetse Mooki has reserved judgment.

# The DA in Gauteng says premier Panyaza Lesufi presents himself as a champion of the people, yet he walks a path that leads only to further hardship for residents. The party responded to the premier’s state of the province address. In his address last week, Lesufi made promises to deal with a range of challenges including unemployment, crime, and poor infrastructure. The DA’s, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, says the premier’s speech lacked the practical steps to deal with challenges:

# AfriForum is demanding an independent investigation into the Milites Dei Security Services’ illegal camp in Mpumalanga, citing corruption and incompetence within the Department of Home Affairs. According to the organisation, the discovery of 95 Libyan nationals, allegedly linked to militant group brigade 20/20, at this camp exposes severe incompetence and corruption within the department and other agencies. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk calls for enhanced border control, an audit of immigration processes, and accountability for those responsible:

# The SADC Business Council Tourism Alliance has assured that Mpox poses a low risk to travellers in Southern Africa. Chairperson Tshifhiwa Tshivengwa emphasised that typical tourist activities are safe and that proactive health measures are in place across the region. However, Tshivengwa has cautioned travellers to practice good hygiene and avoid close contact with individuals who appear ill or have visible skin lesions. He reassured that SADC countries have implemented robust protocols to manage health concerns, ensuring that tourism remains safe.

# Cricket: The International Cricket Council has rated two pitches for the T20 World Cup unsatisfactory. They were the pitch for the first two matches in New York, and the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba. The Proteas were involved in the first match in New York when they bowled Sri Lanka out for just 77, and again in the semifinal in Tarouba, where they restricted Afghanistan to 56. The pitch for the final in Bridgetown was rated very good. India beat South Africa by seven runs.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-79-cents and the euro at 19-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-107-dollars-62-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-514-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-14-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….