News 07:00
BULLETIN 28 August 7 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The EFF also demands the resignation of minister Simelane
# Hundreds of wild animals are culled in Namibia to feed hungry citizens
# And cricket: The West Indies completed a clean sweep of the T20 series against the Proteas
# The EFF has called for the immediate resignation of Justice and Constitutional Development minister Thembi Simelane. This is due to allegations that she received more than 500-thousand-rand from a company that brokered deals with VBS Mutual Bank, which led to its collapse. This was when she was the mayor of Polokwane. The EFF says Simelane’s actions are not merely unethical, they are criminal. It adds that the minister’s continued presence in this role threatens the integrity of the VBS investigation and undermines the pursuit of justice.
# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has called for immediate reforms following a troubling Auditor-General’s report on municipal financial management. The report reveals widespread financial mismanagement, weak oversight, inadequate internal controls, deteriorating infrastructure, and poor service delivery across municipalities, with only 13 percent of municipalities achieving clean audits. OUTA’s Julius Kleynhans says tackling issues like poor project management and unauthorised spending is essential for restoring public trust and enhancing local governance:
# The DA has urged voters to hold underperforming municipalities accountable in the next local government elections. This comes after the Auditor-General’s report revealed that nearly 70-percent of Western Cape municipalities achieved clean audits for the 2022/2023 period. The DA’s Dave Bryant commends the province for its strong governance, contrasting it with financial challenges in municipalities outside the province:
# The Johannesburg Roads Agency maintains that it had followed due process in appointing Step Up Engineering, including an analysis of the company’s financial health. The company, which was contracted for the Lillian Ngoyi rehabilitation project, was fired over alleged poor performance. Parts of the inner city street sank after an underground methane gas explosion in July last year. The agency has now extended the deadline for the completion of phase one of the project by another six months, as it has yet to appoint a contractor to finish the project.
# The Namibian government announced a plan to cull hundreds of wild animals, including over 80 elephants, and distribute the meat to people struggling to survive due to a severe drought. It says the animals are culled in parks and communal areas where animal numbers exceed available grazing land and water supplies. Reuters reports nearly half of Namibia’s population is expected to experience high levels of food insecurity before the following rainy season. Professional hunters have already started shooting hippos, buffalo, impala, blue wildebeest, zebra and eland.
# Cricket: The West Indies defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the final T20 in Trinidad, and completed a three-nil series sweep. Two rain interruptions reduced the match to 13 overs a side. The Proteas, who were asked to bat first, got to 108 for four with Tristan Stubbs scoring 40. Romario Shepherd claimed two wickets. the West Indies’ target was adjusted to 116 per the Duckworth-Lewis method, and the hosts sailed to 116 for two in 9.2 overs to secure the win.
# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-49-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-301-dollars-29-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-517-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-68-cents a barrel.
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Stay tuned for more news………….