News 07:00

BULLETIN 7 August 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Tourism Business Council says the sector has improved but is not out of the woods yet
# Joe Biden says the Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus confirms reports about Kolisi’s return to the Sharks

# Tourism Business Council South Africa CEO Tshifhwa Tshivhenga has commended improved tourism. This comes as Tourism minister Patricia de Lille urged efforts to harness the sector’s economic potential. Addressing sector stakeholders during a Tourism Economic Impact briefing, the minister emphasised boosting tourism to meet the target of 50-million visitors by 2030. Tshivhenga stressed the sector hasn’t yet surpassed pre-Covid-19 figures:

# The African Transformation Movement says the Public Protector’s Office has referred its complaint of alleged embezzlement against former Higher Education minister, Blade Nzimande, and former National Student Financial Aid Scheme chairperson, Ernest Khosa, to the Special Investigating Unit. Nzimande and Khosa allegedly received kickbacks from the scheme’s service providers. The ATM says it has long called for transparency and integrity within the scheme, and this referral represents an important step towards uncovering the truth. It has urged the investigation unit to act with urgency.

# The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union in Gauteng has condemned the violent behaviour displayed at Matshidiso Primary School in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, on Monday. Controversial pastor Paseka Motsoeneng and his security personnel entered the school waving a machete and firearm, and forcefully took two minor children. Sadtu’s provincial secretary, Tseliso Ledimo, says violence has no place in schools:

# The Minister of Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, has intervened in the transfer of 28s prison gang leader, George ‘Geweld’ Thomas, to Helderstroom Prison. This comes after community leaders expressed concern over the high risk his presence posed to Western Cape communities. Thomas has been redirected to an alternative maximum-security facility, as the Department of Correctional Services urgently investigates the irregular transfer. Groenewald also met with the Cape Crime Crisis Coalition to discuss interventions to reduce gang-related violence in affected communities.

# US president Joe Biden says vice president Kamala Harris has made a great choice in picking Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Before being elected Minnesota’s governor in 2018, Walz was known as a battle-tested Democrat who served 12 years in Congress. Biden says the Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people and America’s great middle class. He adds that they will be the strongest defenders of the country’s democracy.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that negotiations for captain Siya Kolisi’s return to the Sharks from French club Racing 92 are underway. Kolisi agreed a deal to move from the Sharks to Racing 92 after last year’s Rugby World Cup, signing a three-year deal. The deal included the Top 14 club paying a transfer fee to buy him out of the remainder of his contract. Erasmus says it will be nice to have Kolisi play in the country again:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-43-cents and the euro at 20-rand-13-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-250-dollars-16-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-385-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….