News 09:00

BULLETIN 22 September 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA welcomes the blacklisting of 40 non-performing contractors
# Donald Trump says Charlie Kirk’s assassination was an assault on all conservative ideals
# And swimming: Christian Sadie wins silver at the World Para Swimming Championships

# The DA has welcomed the Construction Industry Development Board’s decision to blacklist 40 contractors since June 2024. This compares to only one company blacklisted since 2002. The blacklisted contractors are now prohibited from bidding for tenders or being awarded work by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and its entities. The DA’s Bonginkosi Madikizela says under minister Dean Macpherson’s leadership, the department has started cleaning up procurement, acting against corruption, and ensuring that public money delivers real results:

# National Director of Public Prosecution, advocate Shamila Batohi, has raised concerns about the safety of prosecutors, saying at least 34-million-rand a year is spent on protecting state advocates. This includes 24-hour close protection with someone stationed at their homes during high-profile cases. Five prosecutors have been shot and killed over the past five years in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape. Batohi says, despite the dangers, many prosecutors are galvanised in the resolve to continue their work.

# The Independent Financial Advisors Forum says it is disturbed that the City of Tshwane is proceeding with an irregular and unlawful tender for the appointment of a single medical aid brokerage firm for metro employees. The forum wrote to mayor Nasiphi Moya last month, highlighting that the tender contravenes regulations of the Medical Schemes Act. IFAF’s spokesperson Njabulo Majola says more than eight black women-owned brokerages currently serve over 14-thousand Tshwane employees:

# US president Donald Trump says Charlie Kirk was assassinated because he lived bravely, he lived boldly, and he argued brilliantly. The conservative activist was fatally shot at Utah Valley University earlier this month, and 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been charged with his murder. Speaking at a memorial service for Kirk in Arizona yesterday, Trump characterised his assassination as an assault on all conservative ideals. He hailed Kirk as a great American hero and martyr:

# Swimming: Team SA Paralympian Christian Sadie won silver in the men’s S13 200-metres Individual Medley on the opening day of the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore. The 27-year-old lowered the African record to two-minutes-04.03-seconds in the final. Inaki Basiloff of Argentina won gold, and Aleksei Ganiuk, a Neutral Paralympic Athlete, took bronze. Another South African, Nathan Hendricks, finished seventh in the men’s S13 100-metres butterfly final. However, he powered his way to an African record of 58.46-seconds in the heats.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-36-cents and the euro at 20-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-35-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-564-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-691-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….