News 08:00

BULLETIN 29 August 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party launches its election campaign ahead of 2026 local government elections
# South Africa submits a Gaza dossier to the International Court of Justice
# And rugby: The Lions maul the Stormers to move closer to the Currie Cup semi-finals

# The MK Party has stepped up preparations for the 4 November local government elections, with the launch of its ‘Let Us Return to the People’, campaign. According to the party, more than 300-thousand new members have been signed up since June. MK’s Sibonelo Nomvalo told the media the party has set up an election operations centre in Johannesburg to monitor results and respond to possible irregularities during the elections:

# South Africa has submitted a dossier to the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of failing to comply with the Court’s legally binding orders aimed at protecting Palestinians in Gaza from genocide. The Department of International Relations says the dossier was submitted on Tuesday to assist judges monitoring Israel’s compliance with the measures. More than 73-thousand Palestinians have been killed and 174-thousand injured in Gaza since October 2023. Pretoria says Israel continues to deprive Palestinians of essential services and undermine the protective purpose of the Court’s orders.

# Twelve SAPS members were injured and an unknown motorist was killed, after a collision on the N1 freeway near the Astron filling station in Limpopo last night. Police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba says the crash happened when a motorist traveling northbound on the N1 veered out of his lane and collided with a police minibus:

# A major oil deal involving the US and Venezuela was announced by the American President Donald Trump yesterday, with Washington securing majority control of more than 65-billion barrels of Venezuela’s proven oil reserves. Trump says the arrangement, reached through a partnership with private companies, will more than double US oil reserves and help lower fuel prices. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says it could attract nearly 100-billion-dollars in private investment and help rebuild Venezuela’s economy. The full structure of the agreement has not yet been disclosed, and legal questions remain over its implementation.

# Rugby: The Lions have moved into third place on the Currie Cup log after a commanding 36-12 victory over the Stormers 23 at Ellis Park. The Johannesburg side scored five tries and secured a bonus point, but their place in the semi-finals is not yet guaranteed. The Lions must now wait for the weekend’s remaining results to learn whether their season will continue into the final four. The Stormers, meanwhile, suffered another heavy defeat as their campaign approaches its conclusion.

And more rugby news: Tino Mavesere scored four tries as the Sharks hammered the Bulls 53-22 at Kings Park in Durban. The Zimbabwe international crossed in the fifth, 12th, 32nd and 66th minutes as the Sharks-15 ran in nine tries to secure a bonus point and climb into fourth place on the log with 18 points. The result keeps their Currie Cup semi-final hopes alive, although they must now wait on this weekend’s other matches. The Bulls finished the league phase without a win, losing all seven their games.

Stay tuned for more news………….