News 12:00

BULLETIN 13 September 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa describes Gordhan as a beacon of the fight against corruption
# Basic Education minister won’t be attending the Bela Bill signing ceremony
# And Rugby: Four Boks start for the Sharks in the Currie Cup semifinal against the Bulls

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says former Cabinet minister and struggle stalwart Pravin Gordhan was a beacon of the country’s fight against corruption. The 75-year-old, who was regarded as the face of the resistance against former president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta-led project of state capture, died in hospital today. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says the country is grateful for Gordhan’s life of sacrifice and service:

Meanwhile, Defend Our Democracy says Gordhan was an outstanding revolutionary and a leading intellectual in the South African liberation movement. Defend Our Democracy’s Rekgotsofetse Chikane says Gordhan stood as a towering inspiration to the popular movement against corruption and state capture:

# Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube says she has informed president Cyril Ramaphosa that she won’t be attending the signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. The president will sign the bill at the Union Buildings today. Gwarube says she remains opposed to the Bela Bill in its current form and has requested Ramaphosa to refer it back to Parliament for reconsideration. She says objections to the bill must be considered to ensure that it is rectified to avoid protracted and costly legal action.

The Western Cape MEC for Education, David Maynier, says the provincial government will also not attend the signing of the Bill today. He says the concern is about the constitutionality of the bill. Maynier says they still have reservations about the provisions in the Bela Bill regarding school admission and language policies:

# Rugby: The Sharks will face the Bulls with four Springboks in Saturday’s Currie Cup semifinal at Loftus. André Esterhuizen and Francois Venter are the centres, Jordan Hendrikse starts at fullback and Phepsi Buthelezi is number eighth. Former South Africa A player, Lionel Cronjé, is on the bench. Coach John Plumtree made six changes and a rotational switch to the group that beat the Bulls in last week’s final group match in Durban. Captain Vincent Tshituka expects a huge encounter, saying being the underdog just motivates them.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-75-cents and the euro at 19-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-33-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-48-dollars-71-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-569-dollars-31-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….