News 16:00

BULLETIN 13 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA prepares for court action, rejecting Ramaphosa’s threat to implement controversial BELA clauses
# The Employment minister suspends the UIF commissioner over a five-billion-rand agreement
# And Olympic Games: Coe and Samaranch Junior may be too old to vie for IOC presidency

# The DA says it’s preparing for court action against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, challenging its adoption process and content on constitutional grounds. They reject president Cyril Ramaphosa’s threat to implement controversial clauses related to school language and admission policies if no agreement is reached. The party remains committed to opposing the act through all available legal avenues. DA leader John Steenhuisen argues that this infringes on constitutional rights and undermines the spirit of consensus in the government of national unity. 

Meanwhile, AfriForum, Solidarity, and the Solidariteit Skoleondersteuningsentrum, SOS, have welcomed their victory in the fight against two articles in the Act. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Articles 4 and 5, which affect school admission and language policies, will be open for further discussion for three months before implementation. AfriForum’s Alana Bailey says this is a triumph for Afrikaans communities:

# Employment and Labour minister Nomakhosazana Meth has suspended Unemployment Insurance commissioner Tebogo Maruping. The suspension follows his involvement in a controversial five-billion-rand agreement between the UIF and Thuja Holdings. The deal was invalidated by the High Court in Pretoria and the Supreme Court of Appeal. The minister says the disciplinary process aims to restore the UIF’s focus on providing relief to unemployed workers while addressing broader system challenges within the department.

# Olympic Games: World Athletics president Sebastian Coe and the vice president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior’s hopes of becoming the new head of the IOC may be futile. Sixty-seven-year-old Coe and 64-year-old Samaranch will be too old at the end of the first eight-year term, since election rules state the age limit as 70. The new president will be elected in ancient Olympia in Greece in March to succeed Germany’s Thomas Bach. The list of eligible candidates will be published on Monday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-77-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-33-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-880-dollars-45-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-567-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

# And finally: President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill enacted today embodies the vision of the late former Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan, reflecting his commitment to a just and equal society. During the signing ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said that signing this bill reaffirms Gordhan’s dedication to improving educational equity and access, continuing his lasting legacy of fairness and opportunity for all South Africans:

Stay tuned for more news………….