News 11:00

BULLETIN 7 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA criticises the Health Department’s failure to track undocumented migrant patients
# Five learners are arrested for torching two classrooms at a Gauteng school
# And M23 rebels have killed over 300 civilians in the eastern DRC despite a ceasefire

# ActionSA has criticised the Health Department for failing to track the number of undocumented migrants who make use of the country’s healthcare facilities. In a response to a parliamentary question, the department said everyone has the right to access healthcare services, and no one may be refused emergency medical treatment. ActionSA’s Kgosi Letlape says the absence of patient categorisation, where health records fail to distinguish between citizens and foreign nationals, severely compromises budgeting and policy formulation:

# The EFF has submitted an urgent appeal to the chairperson of the Madlanga commission of inquiry, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, raising concerns over venue cost management. The commission has been tasked with investigating corruption in the criminal justice system. The EFF says its concern arises from the costly precedent set by the state capture inquiry, which cost nearly one-billion-rand, with a significant portion of the expenditure linked to the lease of a venue in Parktown, Johannesburg. The party says Madlanga must insist on using a municipal hall or another publicly owned facility to save costs.

# The Gauteng Department of Education says five learners from Thuto-Lefa Secondary School in Munsieville, Krugersdorp, have been arrested in connection with the torching of two mobile classrooms. It is alleged the incident may be linked to learner dissatisfaction with recent timetable changes introduced by the school. The department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, says it is deeply concerning that opposition to academic planning may have been expressed through such a destructive act:

Moving abroad:

# The United Nations Human Rights Office says attacks on civilians by the M23 rebels are continuing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite a ceasefire signed in June. At least 319 civilians were killed by M23 fighters, aided by members of the Rwandan Defence Force, in North Kivu province between 9 and 21 July. UN high commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has urged the signatories and facilitators of both the Doha and Washington agreements to ensure they rapidly translate into safety, security, and real progress for civilians.

# Tennis: American Ben Shelton will face Russian Karen Khachanov in the Canadian Open final in Toronto. Shelton defeated compatriot Taylor Fritz to reach his maiden ATP-one-thousand final. Khachanov recorded a three-set victory over top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany. In the women’s draw in Montreal, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka defeated Denmark’s Clara Tauson in straight sets to reach her first WTA-one-thousand final since 2022. The Japanese will face Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, who stunned Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-678-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-388-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-9-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….