News 15:00

BULLETIN 15 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa urges unity amid challenges as the National Dialogue begins
# Rugby: The Sharks hope to get their Currie Cup campaign back on track in Kimberley today
# And the African Union urges the adoption of a world map showing the continent’s true size

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the National Dialogue Convention as a historic platform for confronting South Africa’s challenges openly and respectfully. Delivering his keynote address at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said no voice is too small and unity in diversity must guide the nation through rising unemployment, poverty, inequality, and a crisis of confidence. He urged adaptation in a rapidly changing world, saying nations are defined by how they respond to their greatest tests:

# Water and Sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina has urged investors to help close Africa’s 528-billion-rand annual water investment shortfall. Speaking at the Africa Union-AIP Water Investment Summit in Cape Town, Majodina warned that without urgent action, economic and social progress will stall. She revealed South Africa has secured 23-billion-rand for dam projects but warned against water mafias sabotaging infrastructure, calling for them to be charged with treason.

# Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has called for mandatory race sensitivity training for Open Chats Podcast hosts after derogatory remarks about the coloured community sparked outrage. Hosts Sinothando Kama and Mthokozisi Mathebula linked the community to incest and mental instability. McKenzie condemned the comments as hate speech, but said he preferred education over imprisonment, stressing he did not want the pair jailed or have criminal records:

# Rugby: The struggling Sharks hope to get their Currie Cup campaign back on track when they face Griquas in Kimberley this afternoon. The Durban team lost all three their previous matches and is seventh on the log, just ahead of Western Province, and Griquas in sixth. Log leader, the Pumas will welcome fifth-placed Lions in Mbombela tomorrow afternoon, while second-placed Cheetahs and Province will do battle in Bloemfontein. On Sunday, Boland Kavaliers, third on the log, will host the fourth-placed Bulls in Wellington.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-58-cents and the euro at 20-rand-55-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-73-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-339-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-93-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The African Union has backed a campaign to end the use by governments and international organisations of the 16th-century Mercator map of the world in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size. The map created for navigation, distorts continent sizes, enlarging areas near the poles like North America and Greenland while shrinking Africa and South America. AU Commission deputy chairperson Selma Haddadi told Reuters it creates the false impression that Africa was marginal despite being the world’s second-largest continent by area, with over a billion people.

Stay tuned for more news………….