News 15:00

BULLETIN 9 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC plans to secure a majority in the upcoming elections
# PayTheGrants demands the Postbank’s stolen funds must be returned to Sassa beneficiaries
# And, rugby: A former Bok winger’s international career is probably over after a three-year ban

# The ANC is working to consolidate reports from various local government structures to address challenges and strategise for the upcoming elections. The party’s national working committee is engaging with grassroot members at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni, to understand the issues on the ground and strengthen its election strategy.  ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula told the media the goal is to retain a majority by tackling key concerns and improving coordination with local structures: 

# Civic organisation #PayTheGrants is demanding the money stolen from Social Relief of Distress Grant beneficiaries at the Postbank be returned to the rightful beneficiaries. A KPMG forensic report has revealed that a criminal syndicate exploited weak IT controls at the Postbank to steal over 100-million-rand in five major incidences between October 2021 to October 2022. The organisation’s General Moyo told the SABC those responsible must also be held accountable:

# Cosatu says it fully supports the court action by union Saccawu, challenging the dismissal of nearly 600 workers by Walmart-owned Massmart. The workers were dismissed for participating in a strike. Engagements with management to get the dismissed workers at Massmart division, Makro, reinstated have been unsuccessful. Cosatu says the company added insult to injury by using the entire Massmart group financials to justify why it could not offer a pay rise to workers at Makro.

# Rugby: Former Springbok star Sbu Nkosi’s international career is probably over after he was given a three-year ban for testing positive for a banned substance earlier this year. The winger was part of the 2019 World Cup-winning squad. Twenty-eight-year-old Nkosi made his debut for South Africa in 2018 and played 16 Tests until 2021. He played for the Bulls and the Sharks and joined the Cheetahs earlier this year. Nkosi’s samples reportedly showed traces of an anabolic steroid used especially by muscle builders.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-77-cents and the euro at 19-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 55-thousand-218-dollars-75-cent. Gold sells at two-thousand-495-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the descendants of the Eiffel Tower’s designer say they will fight to stop the Olympic rings being left on the tower as the mayor of Paris plans. The family of the legendary engineer Gustave Eiffel oppose any alteration that negatively impacts respect for the work of their ancestor, adding they had already consulted lawyers about blocking the change. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to keep the massive multicoloured rings until at least 2028, when the next Games will be held in Los Angeles.

Stay tuned for more news………….