News 06:00

BULLETIN 18 August 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says South Africa will use the SADC chairship to strengthen regional cooperation
# AfriForum warns Nersa’s solar registration rules could bring new charges
# And, Donald Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it interferes with efforts to end the Iran war

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to use South Africa’s chairship of the Southern African Development Community to deepen regional economic integration and advance resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation. He received the SADC chairship from Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa during the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban. The handover marked the conclusion of Zimbabwe’s tenure and the beginning of South Africa’s leadership of the 16-member regional bloc. Ramaphosa says a key focus will be strengthening economic ties across the region:

# AfriForum has raised concerns about new draft rules from energy regulator, Nersa, that could require municipalities and other electricity distributors to keep registers of small-scale solar systems. The organisation warns the information could later be used to introduce new charges for households, farmers and businesses using solar power. AfriForum’s Deidré Steffens says the regulator must explain whether the registration rules are legal and necessary

# Consulting Engineers South Africa says the success of the National Water Action Plan will depend on whether capacity and competency development are treated as core, critical elements, and not cut when budgets tighten. The plan sets out a focused, programmatic series of actions to ensure a reliable supply of quality water to all citizens, aiming to address the root causes of the water supply challenges. CESA says the long-term success of the plan will ultimately be measured by whether the infrastructure and institutional improvements remain functional and effective over time.

# The DA says 41 City of Johannesburg ambulances, worth more than 16-million-rand, have been standing unused for six years while residents face long waits for emergency services. The party is calling for an independent audit to establish the condition and value of the ambulances. The DA’s Alan Fuchs blames poor planning after the Gauteng government took over ambulance services in 2020, and says the unused vehicles are wasting public money:

# US president Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of his effort to end the war with Iran. This comes as the 60-day window for peace talks between America and Tehran expired yesterday. Oman has suffered several strikes from Iran since the conflict broke out; however, the two countries are in talks over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has confirmed that his administration has established a direct backchannel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but says he is in no rush to reach a deal.

# Rugby: Bulls coach Johan Ackermann doesn’t think the All Blacks’ showing against his team, the Stormers and the Sharks is an indication of how they will fare against the Springboks. The visitors fairly easily defeated the three franchises before Saturday’s first Test at Ellis Park. The former lock, who played 13 Tests for South Africa between 1996 and 2007, points out the Boks will be more match-fit than the franchises, while All Blacks coach Dave Rennie also warned his side to up the ante against the world champions.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-21-cents and the euro at 18-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-251-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-415-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….