News 11:00

BULLETIN 12 October 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gwarube says the obsession with the matric pass rate has had unintended consequences
# Burnham says Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum of 2016
# And cricket: Former South African head coach Eric Simons is set to join England’s Test setup

# Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has called for a broader assessment of provincial education performance, saying the matric pass rate should no longer be the sole measure of the quality of the basic education system. She says the focus on achieving the highest National Senior Certificate pass rate has created unintended consequences, including practices that could undermine learner progression and participation in key subjects. Gwarube says the department will assess provincial performance through a wider range of quality indicators:

# The Jacob Zuma Foundation has condemned what it calls a media frenzy fuelled by rumours, misinformation and relentless public scrutiny over the former president’s health. Eighty-four-year-old Zuma has been receiving treatment at the Netcare St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, since last week. The foundation’s Mzwanele Manyi says Zuma deserves the same dignity, privacy and consideration that should be afforded to any person facing a health challenge, and his health should not become an opportunity for sensationalism:

# Parliament’s standing committee on Finance has expressed serious concerns over approximately 1.7-billion-rand in outstanding pension fund contributions owed by about 19 municipalities. The Free State and North West account for 79.4-percent of the total outstanding debt. Chairperson Joe Maswanganyi says the committee will engage with the ministers of Finance and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the affected municipalities, and organised labour to establish what steps are being taken to recover the outstanding funds and ensure accountability.

Moving abroad:

# UK prime minister Andy Burnham says Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum in 2016. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee found in 2020 the government failed to fully assess the impact that accounts run by Russian state-run media, as well as “troll” accounts, had on the European Union referendum. The Russian Foreign Ministry has dismissed the allegations. Burnham told The Rest is Politics podcast similar activities were taking place in France and Germany:

# Cricket: Former South African head coach Eric Simons is set to be appointed as the bowling coach of England Test coach Stephen Fleming’s backroom team. Fleming is assembling his staff for the series against the Proteas in December. Simons was in charge of the South African team between 2002 and 2004 and had a spell as India’s bowling coach. He also worked with Fleming at the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20. Simons also accepted a consultancy role with the Proteas’ white-ball teams when Rob Walter was in charge.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-49-cents and the euro at 18-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 84-thousand-116-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-185-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 106-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….