News 15:00

BULLETIN 24 August 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A Madlanga commission evidence leader argues Matlala’s lawyers had adequate time to prepare
# Kiir and Ramaphosa hold talks as the South Sudan peace process faces strain
# And rugby: All Blacks superstar Richie Mo’unga will make his long-awaited return against the Lions

# Madlanga commission evidence leader Alida Hassim says businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s legal team had more than enough time to file its founding affidavit. She argues the affidavit was due on Friday following an earlier directive from chairperson Mbuyiseli Madlanga, , allowing sufficient time for consultation. Hassim says Matlala’s lawyers had known since March which evidence would be questioned and that heads of argument did not require consultation:

# The DA’s Emfuleni mayoral candidate Solomon Chabalala says the arrest of seven municipal employees accused of charging residents for unlawful electricity reconnections highlight entrenched corruption. He told Newzroom Afrika there is a lack of political will to fix the Gauteng municipality as poor consequence management and inadequate internal controls allows employees to collude with residents and service providers. He says Emfuleni’s financial crisis is worsening, as electricity debt spirals:

# Business Leadership South Africa says a government committed to reforms and creating a policy environment to support growth, coupled with a business partner committed to successful implementation, will likely lead to far greater levels of investment. Last week, president Cyril Ramaphosa launched phase 3 of the Government-Business Partnership, which aims to push gross domestic product growth above three-percent. BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso says the true measure of reform is not the number of policies that have been created or changed but the opportunities that emanate from them.

# South Sudanese president Salva Kiir is in South Africa for an official visit and is expected to hold high-level talks with president Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa chairs the African Union’s ad hoc committee on South Sudan. The talks come as South Sudan prepares for elections later this year amid concerns over the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement. The main opposition party has raised concerns about alleged violations of the agreement.

# Rugby: Richie Mo’unga will make his long-awaited return to the All Blacks in tomorrow evening’s clash against the Lions at Ellis Park. The 32-year-old flyhalf has not featured for New Zealand since their defeat to the Springboks in the 2023 World Cup final. Patrick Tuipulotu will be captain. Prop Saula Ma’u is poised to make his All Blacks debut from the bench. Coach Dave Rennie says Mo’unga has earned his place:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-99-cents and the euro at 18-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-295-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-653-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….