News 08:00

BULLETIN 1 September 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Madlanga Commission will begin once all systems are fully operational
# There are concerns over South Africa being cut off from the SWIFT payment system
# And motorsport: Piastri wins the Dutch Grand Prix and extends his lead

# The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry says a new date for the start of its work will only be confirmed once all ICT systems are fully operational. The commission, tasked with investigating criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system, was set to begin hearings today. However, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development failed to procure the necessary infrastructure on time. Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels told the SABC that service providers are currently testing all ICT hardware:

# Economists are warning about the risks of South Africa being cut off from the global Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication system. Last week, Finance minister Enoch Godongwana reportedly expressed concern about being cut off from the system through US-led sanctions against the country. SWIFT allows banks globally to fast-track payments and ensure they are safe and secure. Aluma Capital chief economist, Frederick Mitchell, says the loss of access to the SWIFT system will carry repercussions that could undermine both national stability and future growth prospects.

# KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has ordered the immediate suspension of a police constable who was seen in MK Party regalia. The officer is attached to the Ntambanana police station under the King Cetshwayo district. Police spokesperson, Robert Netshiunda, says the South African Police Service Act prohibits a police officer from publicly displaying or expressing support for or associating himself or herself with a political party:

# A suspect in the fatal shooting of former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy has been arrested. The 54-year-old was shot dead by someone posing as a courier in the western city of Lviv on Saturday. Parubiy rose to prominence during Ukraine’s mass protests, which advocated closer ties with the European Union, and brought down pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says urgent investigative actions are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of this horrific murder.

# Motorsport: McLaren’s Oscar Piastri won a dramatic Dutch Grand Prix to claim his seventh victory of the season. His teammate Lando Norris, who was on course to finish second, had to retire with eight laps remaining due to an oil leak. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished second with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar in third, his maiden F1 podium. Piastri, who now leads the drivers’ championship by 34 points, says when fighting for a championship, qualifying becomes even more important:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-64-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-668-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-473-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-4-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….