News 14:00

BULLETIN 22 August 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Creecy announces eleven new freight rail operators approved for Transnet network slots
# Minister McKenzie rejects the South African Human Rights Commission’s hate speech findings
# And rugby: Western Province’s coach rings in the changes for the Currie Cup clash against the Sharks

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy has announced that eleven new freight rail operators have been approved to join the Transnet network. The operators will run trains across six key corridors, covering 41 routes and are expected to move an extra 20-million tonnes of goods annually from next year. Creecy told the media this major rail reform step will open the sector to private investment, improve efficiency, and create jobs:

# Patriotic Alliance leader and minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has dismissed the South African Human Rights Commission’s finding of prima facie hate speech against him over historical social media posts. McKenzie calls the decision defamatory and politically motivated, claiming he never received official correspondence and was unfairly pre-judged. He says the matter is a campaign to tarnish his reputation ahead of potential future ambitions:

The DA is meanwhile calling on the Patriotic Alliance to immediately take harsh action against its Cape Town youth leader who is under criminal investigation for attempting to solicit sexual activity from a teenage girl in Bonteheuwel. The DA’s Angus Mckenzie says this matter is now the subject of a police investigation, and the full weight of the law must apply:

# Rugby: Western Province coach Labeeb Levy has made six changes to the starting line-up for this evening’s Currie Cup clash against the Sharks in Durban. Flank Paul de Villiers, who will make his first appearance of the season, starts at openside flank, and the experienced Cabous Eloff comes in at loosehead prop. Scrumhalf Ezekiel Ngobeni will link up with Junior Springbok flyhalf Kyle Smith. The other two changes to the backline see Luke Burger and Jared Africa start on the wings.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 112-thousand-570-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-330-dollars-97-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-1-cent a barrel. 

# And finally: Standard Bank data shows that women are increasingly buying homes and vehicles while maintaining stronger credit profiles than men. Despite this, men use the bank’s credit score feature more often. Standard Bank’s Shené Mothilal says women’s lower credit balances contribute to their higher scores. However, only 42-percent of users of the feature are women. The bank encourages women to leverage this advantage to secure better rates and financial opportunities.

Stay tuned for more news………….