News 15:00

BULLETIN 5 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Soviet Lekganyane will lead the parliamentary probe into allegations of infiltration in the criminal justice system
# TAX Justice SA welcomes a High Court ruling on a 96-million-rand tobacco tax evasion case
# And Olympic Games: The organisers say the preparations for the Winter Games are progressing well

# ANC member Soviet Lekganyane has been chosen to lead the parliamentary ad hoc committee investigating claims of police corruption and political interference. The committee was set up after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged that criminal syndicates have infiltrated law enforcement. EFF leader Julius Malema was nominated as chairperson, but declined. Lekganyane says the committee must report its findings by the end of October:

# Stellenbosch University has confirmed that second‑year theology student Chris Scheffers died from meningococcal meningitis. Scheffers body was found in his Dagbreek Residence room over the weekend. University officials say contact tracing is underway to identify those who had close contact with Scheffers over the past ten days. Preventative medication will also be issued within 24 hours. The university says no further cases have been confirmed, and it will closely monitor all contacts. It has also postponed general events at the residence.

# TAX Justice South Africa has welcomed the KwaZulu-Natal High Court ruling upholding a preservation order against Amalgamated Tobacco Manufacturing and 19 others in a 96-million-rand tax evasion case. Amalgamated Tobacco is also challenging SARS’s right to install surveillance cameras in factories. The organisation’s Yusuf Abramjee says the court dismissed efforts to block the Revenue Service from seizing assets during its probe. Abramjee says the ruling proves the industry is plagued by tax dodgers. He stressed the importance of transparency to expose illicit trade.

# Olympic Games: The organising committee for next year’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Italy says preparations are progressing steadily and according to their timeline. The Olympic opening ceremony is on February sixth, and the Paralympics’ a month later on March sixth. The Games are using a host of existing venues to save costs. Committee CEO Andrea Varnier says as with any complex global event, challenges are part of the process, but they are moving forward with confidence:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-4-cents and the euro at 20-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 114-thousand-829-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-351-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

# And finally: Cosatu says in its 104-years of existence, the SACP has remained resolute in the emancipation of the working class and the poor, resisting racist domination. The SACP celebrated its 104th anniversary this week. Cosatu’s spokesperson, Zanele Sabela, says the party’s founding principles of socialism have been carried throughout the years, together with the National Democratic Revolution, withstanding capitalism, without fear or favour:

Stay tuned for more news………….