News 13:00

BULLETIN 11 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Institute of Race Relations says the one-size-fits-all local government approach is no longer fit for purpose
# The Electoral Commission says the ANC must take responsibility for its candidate lists blunder
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus is set for his 100th Test in charge of the Springboks

# The Institute of Race Relations says South Africa needs to radically rethink its local government system, as the one-size-fits-all approach isn’ts effective anymore. It argues municipalities differ enormously in their economic foundation, institutional capacity, revenue-raising potential, infrastructure needs and the functions they are capable of performing. IRR’s Terence Corrigan says a revised system has to match responsibilities and resources, and create incentives for municipalities to generate and collect their own revenue:

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission says the ANC must shoulder the responsibility for failing to submit its candidate lists for six municipalities on time. In its Electoral Court application, the ANC contends candidate information was captured and uploaded to the IEC’s system before the deadline, but technical problems prevented its administration from completing the final submissions. An answering affidavit by the IEC says the ANC fails to grapple with the fact that accidents happen, and leaving matters up until the last minute comes with risk.

# Transnet says the sale of a 49.99-percent stake in Durban’s Pier 2 container terminal has set the tone for future private-sector partnerships. The transaction generated 12.5-billion-rand in profit and contributed to Transnet’s 4.6-billion-rand annual profit. CEO Michelle Phillips says partnerships will help improve efficiency and competition across rail, ports and pipelines. Transnet plans three waves of partnerships, while seeking to boost rail volumes, address maintenance backlogs and unlock 14.8-billion-rand in infrastructure funding.

Moving abroad:

# Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed Canada’s pledge to help shore up Kyiv’s air defence. He and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney signed a 100-year partnership, establishing long-term cooperation on defence and security. This comes amid Russia intensifying its drone and missile attacks against Ukraine, while Kyiv’s long-range sea and air drones strike refineries and ports deep inside Russian territory. Zelensky has described Canada’s air defence package to Ukraine as very important:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will oversee his 100th Test tomorrow in the fourth Test against New Zealand in Baltimore in the United States. He helped guiding the Boks to 73 victories, one draw and 25 defeats since 2018, including back-to-back World Cup titles. Jacques Nienaber served as coach for 39 Tests from 2020 to 2023, but Erasmus was still heavily involved as director of rugby. A Rugby Greatest Rivalry series victory for South Africa tomorrow is regarded as a fitting tribute to the inspirational mentor.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-15-cents and the euro at 18-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 77-thousand-253-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-345-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 106-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….