News 08:00

BULLETIN 5 March 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Paul Mashatile to brief the NCOP on efforts to improve service delivery and combat crime
# The US Senate votes down a resolution that could limit Trump’s war powers in Iran
# And, the SA veteran actor and comedian, Soli Philander, has died

# Deputy President Paul Mashatile is set to respond to questions in the National Council of Provinces in Cape Town today, addressing a range of critical governance and service delivery matters. According to the Presidency, the deputy president will deal with the escalation of illegal mining activities in Gauteng’s East and West Rand areas, dismantling organised criminal networks and services. Mashatile will also outline corrective measures implemented by the  Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster to detect and prevent corruption within SAPS and the criminal justice system as a whole.

# The EFF says its Insourcing Bill seeks to fundamentally restructure how the state procures and delivers essential services that are required on a continuous and long-term basis. The party presented the legislation to Parliament’s portfolio committee on Public Service and Administration. The EFF’s Omphile Maotwe says the bill seeks to end the wholesale outsourcing model that has characterised the post-1994 public administration era and has entrenched corruption, inflated costs, weakened contract management, and hollowed out internal state capacity:

# Senate Republicans voted against a resolution requiring that president Donald Trump seek congressional approval for future US military action against Iran. The legislation, known as a war powers resolution, failed on a 47-53 vote tally. Democratic senator Chris Murphy had argued that the resolution was necessary to prevent Trump from repeating in Iran the follies of previous US presidents in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the conflict does not meet the definition of a war that would trigger the Constitution’s requirement for congressional approval.

# Soccer: Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says National Treasury has officially transferred the necessary funds to the South African Football Association to implement Video Assistant Refereeing next season. This follows calls for VAR to be implemented over concerns about the standard of officiating in the Premier Soccer League. It’s estimated that the VAR implementation would cost around 80-million-rand. McKenzie says the funds to SAFA would also cover referee training and technology installation at stadiums:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-86-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 72-thousand-493-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-187-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

# And finally, veteran South African actor, comedian, presenter, and playwright, Soli Philander, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 65. He was known and loved on television programmes such as the Afrikaans music quiz show Liriekeraai and the South African version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?. Over the years, Philander appeared in several film and television productions, including Arendsvlei, The Road to Mecca, Devil’s Peak, and Die Prins van Pretoria. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says Philander touched many lives through his work.

Stay tuned for more news………….