News 11:00

BULLETIN 30 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The director general of Health tried to block the Hawks from getting his phone in the Digital Vibes probe      
# Four suspected extortionists are killed by Cape Town police
# And rugby: Etzebeth zooms in on Matfield’s Springbok record of 127 caps

# Health Department director-general, Sandile Buthelezi, reportedly tried to prevent the Hawks from accessing his private phone as part of the Digital Vibes scandal in 2021. Then minister Zweli Mkhize was alleged to have benefitted from the irregular 150-million-rand Digital Vibes contract, while Buthelezi was accused of extending the contract and allowing further payments. He was suspended but was found not guilty of wrongdoing. According to News24, Buthelezi tried to obtain a court order last year to stop the Hawks from examining his phone but withdrew the case in May this year.

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has denied the DA’s claim that the funding announcement for missing middle students was a hoax. Despite processing over 31-thousand applications, only one-thousand-300 met the eligibility criteria.  The scheme’s spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, says they are committed to enhancing their processes for the next academic year:  

# Four suspected extortionists were shot and killed and four others were injured in a shootout with police in Milnerton, Cape Town, last night. Police spokesperson, Novela Potelwa, says the suspects were spotted driving in a minibus when they started shooting. She says four firearms and rounds of ammunition were seized from the vehicle the suspects were travelling in:

# Rugby: Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth is zooming in on Victor Matfield’s alltime Springbok record of 127 Tests. Etzebeth is currently in joint second place with Bryan Habana on 124 caps, and hopes to improve the record at the end of the current Rugby Championship. A knee niggle almost postponed his quest until the end of the year, but he recovered in time to play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park tomorrow. The 32-year-old Etzebeth made his debut for South Africa in 2012.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-69-cents and the euro at 19-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 59-thousand-434-dollars-58-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-519-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety says it is prepared to manage the expected influx of travellers on the roads, as many head to the province for religious gatherings this weekend. The Zion Christian Church congregation will gather at its headquarters in Moria outside Polokwane for the first time after the Covid-19 pandemic. The department’s spokesperson, Tidimalo Chuene, says law enforcement officials are already deployed at strategic locations along major routes and critical points:

Stay tuned for more news………….