News 16:00

BULLETIN 19 August 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A navigational warning has been issued after 99 containers fell off a vessel off the East Coast
# The DA in Limpopo rejects a 34-million-rand irregular expenditure write-off
# And, cricket: The West Indies rest key players for the T20 series against the Proteas

# A navigational warning has been issued to sailing vessels off South Africa’s East Coast after 99 containers fell off the Maltese-flagged ship CMA CGM Belem. This is the second incident within a month involving the same France-based company. The South African Maritime Safety Authority has urged local skippers to remain vigilant and report container sightings. Both incidents were linked to adverse weather. The vessel has been redirected to the Port of Ngqura.

# The DA in Limpopo rejects a 34-million-rand write-off of unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure in the Polokwane Municipality. This includes seven-million-rand from the defunct Aganang Municipality, with insufficient proof provided. The party is concerned about inadequate transparency and consequence management. The DA’s Jacques Joubert is calling for stricter enforcement and is awaiting additional independent investigation reports within the municipality:

# The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association has applauded the recent signing of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act by president Cyril Ramaphosa. Spokesperson Frank Spencer says the act introduces significant reforms to South Africa’s electricity sector, including the creation of a competitive market and the unbundling of Eskom. He emphasises the legislation opens access for independent power producers and provides a framework for electricity distribution, accelerating investment and moving the country closer to energy security.

# The Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation is calling for stricter measures in gender-based violence cases following the arrest of a 17-year-old for the murder of Caledon schoolgirl Deveney Nel. The 16-year-old was stabbed to death and her body hidden in a storeroom at Overberg High School. The teenager, reportedly a learner at the same school, has been placed in a safe facility following his appearance in the local Magistrate’s Court. The organisation’s executive director, Billy Claasen, calls for harsher measures against gender-based violence perpetrators: 

# Cricket: The West Indies have rested Andre Russell, Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph for the three-match T20 series against South Africa. Opening batter Brandon King will also miss this series as he continues to recover from a side strain. Matthew Forde and allrounder Fabian Allen, who missed the T20 World Cup, have returned to the squad. Head coach Daren Sammy says he is confident in the squad they have selected. The first T20 will be played in Tarouba in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-82-cents and the euro at 19-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-387-dollars-28-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-493-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-9-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….