News 15:00

BULLETIN 2 September 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament and the Southern African Liaison Office’s colloquium assess the preparedness for the G20 summit
# Mandla Mandela leads the SA delegation in the global flotilla to Gaza
# And athletics: Bayanda Walaza is included in South Africa’s team for the World Championships despite an injury concern

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on International Relations and Cooperation, together with the Southern African Liaison Office, are hosting a colloquium on South Africa’s readiness for the G20 summit. The session will provide a platform to engage stakeholders on expectations for South Africa’s G20 presidency. Discussions include the roles of engagement groups such as the Youth 20, Civil 20, Women 20, Think 20, and Business 20, aimed at strengthening inclusive participation in global governance.

# The DA says president Cyril Ramaphosa was wrong to praise Zimbabwe’s early 2000s land confiscations as essential and ambitious during his visit to Harare last week. The party says the process destroyed the neighbouring country’s economy and caused famine. They warn that using it as a model risks pushing South Africa’s controversial Expropriation Act. The DA’s Willie Aucamp says land reform must be fair and lawful, and respect the Constitution:

# Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, is leading South Africa’s delegation in the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest civilian maritime mission challenging Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The fleet, launched from Barcelona in Spain with 50 vessels from 44 nations, carries food, medical supplies, and baby formula. International figures like Swedish political activist Greta Thunberg and American actress Susan Sarandon have joined. Despite storm delays, the mission will regroup in Tunisia, underscoring solidarity with Palestine amid South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

# Athletics: Rising sprinting star Bayanda Walaza has been named in a 49-strong South African team for the World Athletics Championships that kicks off in Tokyo next Saturday. The 19-year-old pulled up in the 100-metre final of the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, last Thursday, in what appeared to be a thigh muscle injury. His inclusion in the squad, comprising 32 men and 17 women and 11 relay-only athletes, is apparently not a guarantee of fitness.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 110-thousand-155-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-481-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-6-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is launching Heritage Month 2025 under the theme, Reimagine Our Heritage Institutions for a New Era. Member of Parliament Stacey-Lee Gaby Khojane highlights the initiative’s goal to transform museums, archives, and heritage sites into hubs of innovation, inclusion, and community development. Khonjane says celebrations conclude in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, while Robben Island hosts a reunion of ex-political prisoners, honouring South Africa’s liberation heroes:

Stay tuned for more news………….