News 11:00

BULLETIN 14 September 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa declares a Special Official Funeral for Pravin Gordhan
# Minister Lamola urges global action to end the Gaza genocide
# And, rugby: The Currie Cup reaches the semi-finals today

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that struggle stalwart and former cabinet minister Pravin Gordhan will receive a Special Official Funeral Category 2 on Thursday. The 75-year-old served as minister of Finance and of Public Enterprises. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the president has praised Gordhan for his dedication to liberating South Africa from apartheid:

# Minister of International Relations, Ronald Lamola, has called for an end to the genocide in Gaza during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington. He reaffirmed South Africa’s support for Palestine, urging the world to unite against Israel and push for Palestinian statehood, emphasising the importance of advocating for human rights in Gaza:

# The DA in the Western Cape says the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act will trigger a financial crisis in the education sector. They warn the act will cost at least 17.7-billion-rand to implement, with provinces expected to bear an extra two-billion-rand annually. The party revealed that no funding has been allocated for the act’s implementation over the next three years. The DA’s Leon van Wyk argues the act could bankrupt the education sector:  

# PwC has been banned in China for six months and fined over 1.1-billion-rand for its audit failures related to Evergrande, a real estate company entangled in China’s debt crisis. Chinese regulators criticised PwC for not identifying financial issues ahead of Evergrande’s 2021 default. PwC admitted its auditors in China fell below standards, while a lawsuit in Hong Kong accuses the firm of negligence over Evergrande’s financial reports.

# And, rugby: Log-leaders, the Lions should be considered favourites against defending champions, the Cheetahs, when the two sides meet in Johannesburg in the first of two Currie Cup semi-finals this afternoon.  Kick-off is at 14:30. The second semi-final, between the Bulls and the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld, has all the hallmarks of another Currie Cup classic and is a repeat of the finals of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, both won by the team from Pretoria.

Stay tuned for more news………….