News 14:00

BULLETIN 11 September 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The pre-trial hearing of Magashule’s former PA has been postponed to October
# An education activist says Ramaphosa should ensure all clauses in the BELA Bill complies with the Constitution
# And Russia and China begin joint drills in the Sea of Japan

# The pre-trial hearing of the fraud and corruption-accused former Free State premier Ace Magashule’s former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota, has been postponed to 16 October. Her lawyers have requested the Free State High Court for more time to study the docket. Cholota faces fraud, corruption, and money laundering charges over the 2014 asbestos roof project. The 37-year-old is out on two-thousand-500-rand bail. Her urgent bid to declare her arrest and extradition from the US unlawful has since been dismissed.

# Education activist Hendrick Makaneta has called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure that the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill complies with the Constitution before signing it into law.  He urged the president to double-check the provisions related to mother tongue education. Makaneta says it is crucial that the bill complies with the Constitution and promotes the rights of learners to receive education in their mother tongue:

# The Pension Fund adjudicator, Muvhango Lukhaimane, has warned the new two-pot retirement system launched this month, may reveal widespread employer failures in paying pension fund contributions. Her office has reported 82-percent of current complaints involve such failures. Lukhaimane anticipates a further rise in these complaints, as employees discover discrepancies. Many employers have been found to not have been paying any contributions towards the pension funds of their workers.

# Russian and Chinese warships began joint drills in the Sea of Japan as part of a major naval exercise that will see Moscow sail through waters spanning the Northern Hemisphere and the Pacific. Moscow and Beijing have deepened military and economic cooperation in recent years, as both countries seek to counterbalance what they see as a United States-led global order. President Vladimir Putin will formally open the Russian-led exercise. The drills will involve more than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels and last until Monday.

# Soccer: Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as head coach of the USA men’s national team. The 52-year-old replaces Gregg Berhalter, who was sacked in July. The Argentinian will lead the country into the 2026 World Cup when the tournament is played across America, Canada and Mexico. US Soccer’s sporting director, Matt Crocker, says Pochettino is a serial winner with a deep passion for player development:

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-85-cents and the euro at 19-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-37-cents and Bitcoin trades at 56-thousand-529-dollars-10-cent. Gold sells at two-thousand-520-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….