News 15:00

BULLETIN 19 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An organisation calls for stricter action in gender-based violence cases following a teen’s arrest in the Caledon murder
# EFF members are urged to disclose a party switch amid Shivambu’s resignation
# And, cricket: The Proteas improved their chances of reaching the Test championship final by beating the Windies

# The Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation is calling for stricter measures in gender-based violence cases following the arrest of a 17-year-old for the murder of Caledon schoolgirl Deveney Nel. The 16-year-old was stabbed to death and her body hidden in a storeroom at Overberg High School. The teenager, reportedly a learner at the same school, has been placed in a safe facility following his appearance in the local Magistrate’s Court. The organisation’s executive director, Billy Claasen, calls for harsher measures against gender-based violence perpetrators: 

# Former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee has urged members considering leaving the party to disclose if they are being recruited by another party. This follows the resignation of former EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, who joined the MK Party. Gardee states that silence is complicity and emphasises that this is a critical moment for the EFF. He warns that the party must pass this test to survive beyond its ten-year milestone.

# The general workers’ union Giwusa has criticised the recent liveable wage report for not addressing broader issues of exploitation and systemic inequalities. The union argues that while the report by Living Wage Network proposes a 15-thousand-rand monthly wage, it falls short of accounting for deeper economic injustices. Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei says the current minimum wage of around four-thousand-600-rand is inadequate, leaving many workers in poverty:

# US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel and Hamas not to derail negotiations to secure a Gaza truce and hostage release deal. Blinken called this a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security. Blinken is due to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu later today before travelling to Cairo, where ceasefire talks are expected to resume this week.

# Cricket: The Proteas improved their chances in the World Test Championship when they clinched the two-Test series against the Windies. South Africa beat the hosts by 40 runs in the second Test in Guyana after the first one rained out. Proteas coach Shukri Conrad says the incentive of reaching next year’s final of the championship definitely played a role, but they realise hard work still lies ahead. South Africa is currently fifth in the championship standings behind India, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 19-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-8-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-16-dollars-29-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-487-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….