News 06:00

BULLETIN 12 September 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Paul Mashatile says South Africa must rely less on foreign aid
# Minister Tau withdraws the controversial draft amendments to the National Credit Act
# And, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency session about the Russian drones in Poland

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says South Africa must reduce its dependence on foreign aid and strengthen its own capacity to fund essential programmes. Addressing the National Council of Provinces, Mashatile warned that cuts in US funding for HIV and AIDS initiatives highlight the risks of over-reliance on external support. He said the government has already re-prioritised resources and engaged the National Treasury to close the funding gap:

Mashatile also says black economic empowerment is not racism but a tool to correct past injustices. Mashatile stressed that transformation is about sharing wealth and empowering those who were previously disadvantaged. He said legislation must be used properly to uplift black entrepreneurs and communities, adding that the government will not back away from ensuring economic inclusion.

# Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau has withdrawn the controversial draft amendments to the National Credit Act of 2005. One of the proposed amendments pertained to how a credit bureau may obtain credit information from educational institutions. The department says the minister decision was informed by the over 20-thousand submissions opposing the proposed regulations. The department adds that the minister is committed to undertaking a process that will consider the changes that are required to protect students.

# Convicted murderer Thabo Bester’s lawyer, MoAfrika Wa Maila, says Netflix should not be allowed to violate South Africans’ rights through its upcoming documentary. This comes as Bester and former partner Nandipha Magudumana approached the court to stop the broadcasting of a documentary titled Beauty and the Bester, scheduled to go on air today. Wa Maila told the court the broadcast risks prejudicing Bester’s ongoing trial. He argued that releasing it now would damage his client’s reputation:

# The UN Security Council announced it will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss violations of Poland’s airspace, a day after Warsaw accused Moscow of carrying out a drone raid on its territory. Poland said the incident was not accidental. Moscow denied targeting the country and said there was no evidence the drones were Russian. Stray Russian drones and missiles have entered the airspace of NATO members, including Poland, several times since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

# Rugby: The wider Stormers squad will start their pre-season camp with a friendly against the Sharks in George today. A 28-man Stormers side will take on the Durban outfit in the pre-season match, with kick-off at Outeniqua Park at 6pm. The extended squad will then spend most of the following week in the Southern Cape, before shifting focus to their opening United Rugby Championship clash with defending champions, Leinster, in Cape Town on Friday 26 September.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-35-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-56-cents and Bitcoin trades at 115-thousand-381-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-633-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-95-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….