News 11:00

BULLETIN 1 September 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Business Leadership South Africa says the country needs a coherent trade strategy
# Nepal begins with mass burials of unidentified flood victims
# And rugby: Erasmus is frustrated at the narrative around the Springboks’ scrumming tactics

# Business Leadership South Africa says the country requires a trade strategy that is built on analysis of where it can actually compete, not on the optics of summits. Government has reaffirmed its strategic partnership with Brazil, with ambitions to deepen economic ties. South Africa exported 5.2-billion-rand worth of goods to Brazil last year while importing 27.3-billion-rand worth of goods. BLSA’s CEO, Busisiwe Mavuso, says a trade strategy must focus on markets that offer the right balance, without reciprocal flooding of the local market with their goods.

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Leonard Lekgetho as new head of the Special Investigating Unit with effect from today. He succeeds Andy Mothibi, who became the National Director of Public Prosecutions in February. Lekgetho has 19 years of experience at the SIU, during which he has served in diverse portfolios including chief forensic investigator and assistant project manager. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says Lekgetho’s appointment is intended to provide stability:

# The Jacob Zuma Foundation has described the Constitutional Court’s ruling on retired Justice Sisi Khampepe’s recusal from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases inquiry as a narrow loss. The court dismissed Zuma and former president Thabo Mbeki’s application for recusal, citing Khampepe’s role in the Amnesty Committee of the TRC and as deputy director of Public Prosecutions as reasonable apprehension of bias. Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi says their concerns extend beyond the recusal ruling:

Moving abroad:

# Authorities in Nepal have started burying hundreds of unidentified victims following last week’s catastrophic flash floods. The death toll from the disaster on the border with Tibet currently stands at 955, with over four-thousand people still missing. Nepal’s scenic Chitwan district now serves as a temporary burial ground for bodies too badly decomposed to be identified. Authorities say the concern is the risk to public health. A detailed burial-record system has been set up to aid future DNA tracking.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says he is frustrated by the narrative being formed around the continued attempts of the All Blacks to influence the referees through the media. New Zealand coach Dave Rennie expressed his grievances about the Boks’ scrum technique after the second Test in Cape Town. He suggested South Africa was walking around opponents in the scrum. Erasmus says he trusts the methods of his scrum coach, Daan Human:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-10-cents and the euro at 18-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-81-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-73-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-433-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….