News 11:00

BULLETIN 11 August 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says the diverse perspectives of women will be reflected in the National Dialogue
# Archbishop Makgoba says the National Dialogue must be free from manipulation by political and economic elites
# And, Australia is the latest country to announce its intention to recognise a Palestinian state

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says no government decision should be made without due consideration of how it impacts women specifically. On Friday, organisations will gather at the National Convention in Pretoria to kickstart the National Dialogue process. In his weekly newsletter, the president says given the history of women’s struggles in the country, it is expected that women will once again come to the fore and participate actively in the dialogue process. Ramaphosa adds that diverse perspectives and priorities of all South African women will be reflected. 

Meanwhile the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba has emphasised the urgent need for the National Dialogue to succeed for the benefit of the poor and marginalised. Key organisations behind the initiative, including the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, have withdrawn from the planning process and the National Convention, citing concerns over inadequate preparation time and government control. Makgoba says it is critical for the credibility of the dialogue for it to be free from manipulation by political and economic elites.

# Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, says the province is Africa’s most globally connected tourism gateway. The province recorded over 3.8-million international arrivals in the 2024/25 financial year. As a result of this increase, the international tourism revenue contribution also rose to 41-billion-rand against the target of 29-billion-rand. Maile says despite this positive growth, geopolitical tensions threaten the sector, and high crime rates are also a major concern:

Moving abroad:

# Prime minister Anthony Albanese has announced that Australia will recognise the State of Palestine at next month’s 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Countries including France, the UK and Canada have already announced their plans to formally recognise Palestine as a state in the hopes of bringing peace to the Middle East. Israel has stated that this recognition rewards terrorism. Albanese says Australia’s position is predicated on the commitments they have received from the Palestinian Authority:

# Soccer: Liverpool manager Arne Slot admits that adjustments need to be made to find the balance between attack and defence. Crystal Palace defeated the reigning Premier League champions 3-2 on penalties to win the Community Shield at Wembley yesterday. Slot says their defensive vulnerability is something they will need to work on ahead of their opening Premier League match against Bournemouth on Friday:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 122-thousand-116-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-364-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….