News 13:00

BULLETIN 2 September 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Godfrey Lebeya confirms Malcolm X was a Hawks informant
# A report reveals warning signs were visible days before the deadly glacier collapse in Nepal
# And tennis: An easy victory for Eala while Zverev needed five sets to reach the US Open’s second round

# Former Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya has confirmed to the Madlanga Commission that businessman Malcolm X was an informant. Lebeya initially hesitated over the term before agreeing Malcolm X was the person he categorised as an informant. The confirmation follows the raid at businessman Katiso “KT” Molefe’s home. Malcolm X has previously denied being a police informant. Lebeya says he did not intend to publicly identify him as an informant:

# Revenue Service commissioner Johnstone Makhubu says SARS has recovered from the damage caused during the state capture era. Speaking at the Money Summit, Makhubu said tax collections have outpaced economic growth for five consecutive years. SARS collected a record 2.01-trillion-rand in the 2025/26 financial year, up 8.4-percent and above nominal economic growth of 5.4-percent. Makhubu says stronger staffing, data analytics and technology have improved compliance, but warns South Africa’s narrow tax base and illicit economy remain major challenges.

# The Road Freight Association says the latest fuel price increases are yet another reminder of just how highly susceptible the industry is to the volatility of global oil markets. Petrol prices have gone up by one-rand-34-cents a litre and diesel prices by between two-rand-93- and three-rand-15-cents per litre. The association’s CEO, Gavin Kelly, says as fuel prices rise, transport companies, fleet operators, and freight customers must brace for pressure on operational costs:

Moving abroad:

# A report shows the glacier that collapsed and triggered the deadly flash floods in Nepal and Tibet last week, showed visible signs of instability days before the disaster. The death toll stands at over one-thousand-100, with some four-thousand people still missing. The report, compiled by a group of international scientists, states pre-event indications included satellite imagery showing a change in the glacier’s surface. The scientists say warning times of ten minutes or more, and comprehensive and well-capacitated systems could have saved a significant number of lives.

 # Tennis: Promising young Filipino Alexandra Eala waltzed through her first-round match at the US Open. The 21-year-old only lost three games on her way to victory over local player Mary Stoiana at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York. Eala shot up to 18th in the world rankings last month after clinching her first WTA 500 title at the Washington Open in July. In the men’s draw, top-seeded German Alexander Zverev needed five sets to down unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-15-cents and the euro at 18-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-761-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-305-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 97-dollars-41-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….