News 16:00

BULLETIN 16 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The University of Johannesburg expels 50 students
# BOSA calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the education system
# And, rugby: Moerat leads a new-look Bok team featuring seven uncapped players

# The University of Johannesburg expelled 50 students for between one and two years. The Department of Student Judicial Services found that 25 students produced fraudulent medical certificates while the other 25 students were guilty of various transgressions, including plagiarism and fraud. UJ spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen says such misconduct represents a small fraction of the student body and the university upholds rigorous ethical standards. Higher Education deputy minister Mimmy Gondwe commended U-J’s actions, stressing the importance of preserving the integrity and credibility of South Africa’s higher education system.

# Build One South Africa has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the education system. The party advocates for a single, unified system that serves all learners equally. In a parliamentary debate on the Basic Education budget, BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane said the dual education system keeps inequality alive. Maimane suggests eliminating the 30-percent pass mark, establishing an education ombud, increasing funding for digital learning, and tackling union influence in education:

# South African airline Airlink will increase its Durban-Harare flights to daily service starting 7 August. It previously operated six days a week. The new schedule will fill the Wednesday gap. CEO Rodger Foster cites customer demand for the change, which aims to boost business, trade, and tourism. He says the flights offer convenient connections with Airlink’s regional and global partners, enhancing the economic competitiveness of both cities.

# Rugby: Salmaan Moerat will take over the Springbok captaincy for the first time when he leads a squad featuring seven uncapped players in a first ever Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The uncapped players in the starting lineup are former Junior Springbok captain Phepsi Buthelezi at flank, Johan Grobbelaar at hooker and Jan-Hendrik Wessels next to him at prop. André-Hugo Venter, Ruan Venter, Morné van den Berg and Quan Horn could make their Test debuts from the bench.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-6-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-547-dollars-28-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-442-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the United Nations’ General Assembly will mark International Nelson Mandela Day, celebrating its 15th year. The official commemoration on Thursday will honour the late president’s legacy under the theme ‘It is still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity.’ General Assembly president Dennis Francis highlights Mandela’s view of poverty as an injustice, while deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed urges the council to follow Mandela’s path to end poverty:

Stay tuned for more news………….