News 07:00

BULLETIN 3 October 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Godongwana addresses the shortfall of US AID cuts
# The Auditor-General calls for the professionalisation of Local Government
# And, the White House says Trump will draw a red line on the Gaza proposal

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has introduced a Special Appropriation Bill in Parliament to allocate 754-million-rand to address the funding shortfall caused by the US withdrawal of health sector donor funding. Last week, the US Supreme Court extended an order that allows president Donald Trump to keep the freeze on foreign aid. The funding termination affected about 40 USAID-funded health projects in South Africa, resulting in the cessation of services provided by approximately eight-thousand-493 US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief-funded staff involved in HIV response activities.

# Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has called for urgent accountability and reform in municipalities, warning against the culture of impunity. Speaking at the Local Government Indaba in Midrand, Gauteng, Maluleke revealed unauthorised expenditure topped 31-billion-rand. Maluleke highlighted water and electricity losses of 37-billion-rand and ineffective oversight structures. She urges stronger governance and professionalisation to protect scarce public resources and restore public trust:

# The DA says Wednesday’s actions by the City of Cape Town, bringing in the police to raid and investigate suspected malfeasance by officials, demonstrate the metro will not tolerate crime or corruption. Police executed warrants at 26 locations in Cape Town, related to an alleged tender fraud totalling 1.6-billion-rand. The DA’s Willie Aucamp says the only way for South Africa to be rid of the scourge of corruption is for governments to hand over cases to the police when any suspicions arise:

# The White House says president Donald Trump expects Hamas to accept his Gaza peace proposal. The 20-point Gaza peace plan, which Israel has accepted, includes the release of all hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territory, and the disarmament of Hamas. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says if Hamas rejects the plan, there will be serious consequences:

# Golf: South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Herman Loubser, Michael Hollick and Richard Sterne have all made a strong start at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. The quartet are just two shots off the lead held by England’s Matthew Jordan, American Ryan Brehm and the Netherlands’ Darius van Driel on nine under par. Of this quartet, only Sterne has come closest to winning this title when he finished tied second in 2016. Branden Grace is the only South African to have won this tournament back in 2012.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-31-cents and the euro at 20-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-26-cents and Bitcoin trades at 120-thousand-227-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-852-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia, together with SAPS National Commissioner Fannie Masemola, will today hand over helicopters and armoured vehicles to specialised police units in Pretoria. The new resources will enhance policing, crime detection, as well as visible policing and operations. Police Ministry spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi says this will strengthen SAPS capabilities in serving and protecting South Africans.

Stay tuned for more news………….