News 07:00

BULLETIN 20 August 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Mashatile calls for the strengthening of intergovernmental relations
# Parliament welcomes the probe into ghost teachers
# And Mixed Martial Arts: Du Plessis won’t seek a rematch with Chimaev now

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says the effectiveness of local government directly impacts the quality of life for citizens and their ability to access necessities. He undertook a working visit to the Amampondo Kingdom in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday. Mashatile says the roll-out of the District Development Model aims to improve the functioning of municipalities and also addresses community service delivery issues. He adds that it is essential to strengthen intergovernmental relations by fostering collaboration to ensure that all levels of government work together for the benefit of all communities.

# The South African Rooibos Council is engaging the US embassy and the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition to seek relief from a newly imposed 30-percent tariff on Rooibos exports. Rooibos, grown only in the Western Cape, is mostly shipped in bulk to the US for blending, packaging, and marketing, creating jobs there. The council’s chairperson, Dawie de Villiers, says protecting producers and exporters remains a top priority:

# Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has welcomed the Education Labour Relations Council’s probe into ghost teachers and the selling of teaching posts. The council, supported by unions and education departments, will conduct a nationwide verification of educators and learners, with results due by October 2025. Committee chairperson, Jan de Villiers, said ghost employees drain resources and undermine education. He urged accountability, stronger oversight, and reforms to restore public trust in government services.

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi says establishing specialised schools to address critical skills shortages by aligning education with the province’s economic growth priorities is imperative. He presided over the official handover of a decommissioned Embraer 135 passenger jet on Tuesday, donated by Airlink to Rhodesfield Engineering School of Specialisation in Kempton Park. Lesufi says with only six-thousand aircraft maintenance engineers in South Africa, and just one-thousand-700 being African, initiatives like this are vital for transforming opportunities and ensuring inclusivity in the sector:

# European Council president, António Costa, says the European Union is united and unwavering in its support for Ukraine, as well as its commitment to maintaining pressure on Russia. Last month, the EU adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Moscow, which includes the introduction of an import ban on refined petroleum made from Russian crude oil. Costa says the top priorities are to stop the killing, advance the exchange of prisoners, and secure the return of the thousands of children abducted by Russia.

# Mixed Martial Arts: Defeated South African middleweight UFC world champion Dricus du Plessis plans to take some time off to reflect on Sunday’s fight against Khamzat Chimaev. The Russian claimed his 15th professional victory when he overshadowed Du Plessis with a unanimous decision in Chicago. Du Plessis’s head coach, Morné Visser, revealed his charge isn’t interested in an immediate rematch since they have to fix a few things first. He says when you’ve been dominated in such a way, you don’t deserve an immediate rematch.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-70-cents and the euro at 20-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-679-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-316-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….