News 13:00

BULLETIN 12 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The expansion of the free basic electricity programme is announced
# AZAPO calls for the banning of beauty pageants
# And, cricket: Concern over the England captain’s injury ahead of their Sri Lanka Test series

# The minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced plans to escalate free basic electricity for eight-million South African households. Currently, only two-million of the ten-million qualifying households have access. Ramokgopa emphasises the need to address delivery challenges and municipal registration issues to expand coverage effectively:

# The Azanian People’s Organisation says in the aftermath of the Miss SA hopeful Chidimma Adetshina saga, it reiterates its calls for the banning of beauty pageants. AZAPO’s spokesperson, Jabu Rakwena, says beauty pageants do not add value to the society, and the advancement of advocacy and charity goals can still happen without having to expose young women through such trauma and uncertainty of knowing what the expectations of the judges would be:

# The DA says the systemic failures plaguing the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development are hampering service delivery. According to the department’s fourth quarter report for the 2023/’24 financial year, it incurred 111-million-rand in irregular expenditure and 7.9-million-rand in wasteful expenditure. The DA’s Nico De Jager says project delays, procurement irregularities, and poor planning have become the hallmarks of the department:

# Cricket: England captain Ben Stokes is a major injury concern ahead of the start of the Test series against Sri Lanka next week. He was carried off injured during The Hundred after pulling up while batting for the Northern Superchargers against Manchester Originals at Old Trafford yesterday. Stokes, who was seen on crutches after the match, is set to undergo a scan today to determine the extent of the injury. If he is unavailable for England duty, vice-captain Ollie Pope will likely captain the side.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-22-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-24-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-446-dollars-67-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-444-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-6-cents a barrel.

# And finally Disney has bestowed legends status to 14 artists, including actors Harrison Ford and Angela Bassett, singer Miley Cyrus, and director James Cameron. The company says the artists have had a significant impact on Disney’s legacy. Past honourees include Christina Aguilera, Stan Lee, Betty White and Oprah Winfrey. Disney also honoured six behind-the-scenes creatives who have contributed to groundbreaking films, art, and Disney experiences. They include Oscar-winning costume designer, Colleen Atwood, and prominent animator, Mark Henn.

Stay tuned for more news………….