News 06:00

BULLETIN 1 September 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says the purpose of the electricity reform is not to privatise Eskom
# The death toll from the Nepal-Tibet flash floods continues to rise
# And soccer: The Argentinian legend Lionel Messi calls time

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the focus on modernising and transforming South Africa’s energy system is to ensure energy security and provide cheap and clean electricity for all citizens. In his weekly newsletter, he says the country must move away from its century-old reliance on a single utility provider if it hopes to secure an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy future. Ramaphosa has emphasised that transforming the structure of the electricity sector will not mean privatising Eskom, but building a better system.

# Former Parliament speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption case has been postponed to 7 September for judgment on her application to be discharged. The High Court in Pretoria heard arguments from her legal team and the state, which opposed the application. The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, says Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 corruption and one money laundering charge over an alleged 4.5-million-rand bribe from a service provider:

# Madlanga commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels says suspended deputy Crime Intelligence head Feroz Khan has been subpoenaed to appear before the commission today, and the subpoena remains in force. This comes amid reports that Khan has been readmitted to hospital after being shot and wounded in Johannesburg in June. Michaels told the media the commission has not been officially informed by Khan’s legal representatives about his health status:

# The DA in the Western Cape demands an urgent investigation following a video allegedly showing a South African National Defence Force member verbally and physically assaulting a woman in Tafelsig, in Mitchells Plain. The party’s Benedicta van Minnen says the member must face disciplinary or criminal action if the allegations are confirmed. Van Minnen added security forces should protect residents and focus on fighting gang violence and organised crime, not attack civilians:

# The death toll from last week’s flash flooding disaster in the Nepal-Tibet border region now stands at 955, with some four-thousand-471 people still unaccounted for. Among the missing are hundreds of workers in hydro project tunnels, underground passages that facilitate the movement of water from hydro projects. Nepal’s prime minister, Balendra Shah, has acknowledged that it was not fully prepared for a disaster of this scale, which is the deadliest for the country since the 2015 earthquake.

# Soccer: Argentina’s Lionel Messi has retired from international soccer, leaving a record-breaking legacy of 125 goals from 207 games. The 39-year-old played in six World Cups, won the tournament in Qatar in 2022 and led Argentina to the final this year but lost to Spain. Messi, who is Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorer and most-capped player, says he has given everything to the national side but now has nothing left to give. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner adds that his father’s passing has made him more convinced to retire.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-9-cents and the euro at 18-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-81-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-707-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-449-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….