News 07:00

BULLETIN 1 August 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Defend Our Democracy urges South Africans to register to vote this weekend
# Gauteng warns courier drivers about a surge in hijackings
# And at the Commonwealth Games Dambile strikes gold for South Africa on the Glasgow track

# Defend Our Democracy issues an urgent call to all eligible citizens, both young and old, to participate in the final station-based voter registration weekend, or to continue utilising the online registration platform. Spokesperson Wade Manning says local government is the frontline of South Africa’s democracy. He says it is the space where critical decisions regarding water, electricity, housing, roads, and everyday community services are made:

Meanwhile, ActionSA has appointed the former Build One South Africa member of the Gauteng legislature, Ayanda Allie, as its provincial election campaign ambassador ahead of the 4 November elections. The announcement follows her recent departure from BOSA, where she was the party’s only representative in the legislature. ActionSA president Herman Mashaba says Allie will help lead the party’s campaign:

And the MK Party has announced readiness to participate in its first local government election, marking a significant milestone for the organisation just two years after its establishment.  It says the unwavering love, loyalty and respect demonstrated by members and all stakeholders towards its leader, Jacob Zuma and the organisation have strengthened confidence in achieving victory in the election. The party says all officials and members of the strategic presidential team will be deployed at their respective regions and provinces on this voter registration weekend.

# The Gauteng Department of Community Safety has urged courier companies and delivery drivers to remain vigilant following a rise in hijackings targeting courier vehicles. Authorities recently arrested five suspects linked to a courier hijacking, while two alleged robbery suspects were fatally wounded during a separate police operation in Boksburg. The department spokesperson Ofentse Morwane has advised drivers to stick to planned routes, avoid isolated areas and report suspicious activity:

# The US State Department apologised after officials displayed a map of Africa that incorrectly labelled several countries during a presentation at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro. The incident drew criticism as the Trump administration defended changes to US-funded global HIV programmes. The slide showed Nigeria inland, Mozambique was placed in the Horn of Africa, and the Ivory Coast appeared on the opposite side of the continent. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the State Department has reduced global health funding and undergone a restructuring that has eliminated numerous career positions.

# And, Commonwealth Games: Sinesipho Dambile delivered in spectacular fashion on Friday night, winning Team South Africa’s first gold medal on the track at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Dambile stormed to victory in the men’s 200-metre final in 19.96 seconds. He beat former world junior champion Udodi Onwuzurike of Nigeria, who took second place, with the Jamaican athlete Christopher Taylor in third. Earlier, judoka Donne Breytenbach won bronze in the Women’s 57-kilogram event. Team SA now have 25 medals in total with seven gold, nine silver and nine bronze.

Stay tuned for more news………….