News 06:00

BULLETIN 8 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The South African Airways Repeal Bill is withdrawn from Parliament
# BOSA slams Ramaphosa for refusing to vet his cabinet against the sex offenders register
# And mixed martial arts: Elbert “Pikachu” Steyn gears up to make MMA history

# Cabinet has approved the withdrawal of the South African Airways SOC Limited Repeal Bill from Parliament’s legislative programme. The Bill, linked to a now-collapsed sale agreement, became unimplementable after negotiations between the state and private partners failed. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the repeal was a condition for the transaction; however, with its termination, Cabinet saw no reason to proceed with the legislative process:

# Build One South Africa says the government is undermining the fight against gender-based violence by refusing to screen cabinet members against the national register for sex offenders. The party revealed that president Cyril Ramaphosa declined to confirm whether any ministers or deputy ministers appear on the register and refused to commit to future screening. BOSA’s Roger Solomons says all public officials must be vetted before taking office and held to the same standards as ordinary workers:

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has restructured his executive following the election of African Independent Congress Margaret Arnolds as the Speaker of Council in July. ANC councillor Loyiso Masuku has been appointed mayoral committee member for Finance, a position Arnolds held. Council whip Sthembiso Zungu will take over from Masuku as mayoral committee member for Group Corporate and Shared Services. Morero says these appointments are crucial as the metro seeks to strengthen financial governance, uphold fiscal discipline, and enhance revenue collection to serve its residents better.

# The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria is set to deliver judgment on the final resting place of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu. The Zambian government has requested to repatriate Lungu’s body for a state funeral and burial at Embassy Park in Lusaka. The government argues that although his benefits were suspended due to political involvement, that limitation no longer applies posthumously, clearing the path for a dignified state send-off. However, the Lungu family wants the former president to be buried in a private ceremony in South Africa.

# Mixed martial arts: Pretoria’s Elbert “Pikachu” Steyn is ready to make martial art history tomorrow when Professional Fighters League Africa lands in Johannesburg. The 3-0 unbeaten featherweight will face Morocco’s Abderrahman Errachidy at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena. The event marks Professional Fighters League Africa’s second stop, following a Cape Town sell-out. Steyn, the only South African on the card, hopes to secure a semifinal spot in front of a roaring home crowd.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-69-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-79-cents and Bitcoin trades at 117-thousand-375-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-398-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Horticulturist Richard Arm has urged Camellia lovers to visit Vergelegen wine estate in Somerset West, Cape Town, to celebrate its internationally acclaimed camellia garden. This follows a successful event recently that showcased over one-thousand shrubs. Arm says the estate holds Africa’s only International Camellia Garden of Excellence. He emphasised that the garden remains a floral attraction from April to September, showcasing both delicate and flamboyant camellia varieties:

Stay tuned for more news………….