News 09:00

BULLETIN 6 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula threatens legal action over Dlamini-Zuma’s vote-buying claims
# Donald Trump says he would prefer an agreement with Iran rather than further military action
# And soccer: Fifa’s management board reaffirms its full support for Infantino as president

# ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has strongly denied allegations made by former cabinet minister and party veteran Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma against him. During an appearance on the African Renaissance Podcast, Dlamini-Zuma alleged that Mbalula handed out cash to delegates to secure his election and that of president Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC’s 2022 elective conferences. Mbalula has described the allegations as  “very damaging and painful”, adding that he has consulted his lawyers. He says he was elected freely and fairly by delegates through a secret ballot, as required by the ANC constitution.

# The South African Local Government Association has welcomed Cabinet’s decision to give the go-ahead for the Municipal Structures Amendment Bill, commonly known as the Coalitions Bill, to be tabled in Parliament. The bill aims to bring stability to local councils where no party wins an outright majority in the polls. SALGA’s spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, says experiences after the 2016 and 2021 elections show that poorly managed transitions and fragile coalition agreements can weaken oversight, disrupt administration and place basic services under strain:

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has urged beneficiaries of newly built government houses not to allow foreign-owned spaza shops to operate from their properties. He handed over 105 completed homes at the Westonaria Borwa Mega Project in West Rand yesterday. Human Settlements Department spokesperson, Tahir Sema, says housing developments should create economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs. He says the premier has encouraged aspiring local entrepreneurs to make use of government funding available through the Department of Small Business Development to establish their own businesses:

# US president Donald Trump says he would rather make a deal to end the war in Iran, because he “does not want to kill people.” Washington maintains that talks with Tehran, especially on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, are progressing. However, Iran has stated that it is not negotiating with the US and has no plans to do so, and is instead talking to Oman. Speaking in Las Vegas, Nevada, Trump reiterated that any agreement should make sure Iran never has a nuclear weapon:

# Soccer: FIFA says Gianni Infantino will remain president, with the management board reaffirming its support for his leadership. This comes as the governing body’s leaders held a crisis meeting in Rabat, Morocco, yesterday, following mounting criticism of Infantino’s now-aborted proposal. He wanted to sell off stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. Infantino and secretary general Mattias Grafstrom have apologised for their “errors”. FIFA says with the proposal now withdrawn, it will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-33-cents and the euro at 18-rand-85-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-98-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-569-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-261-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….