News 16:00

BULLETIN 29 August 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Action Society says South Africa’s murder rate is nearly four times higher than global terror deaths
# COSATU applauds a court ruling upholding the Employment Equity Act
# And rugby: Assistant coach Tony Brown regards the Eden Park Test as the Boks’ biggest since the World Cup

# Action Society says South Africa’s murder rate is now higher than deaths from terrorism worldwide. According to the civil rights group, over 26-thousand people were murdered last year, nearly four times more than the global terrorism toll. Action Society’s Juanita du Preez warns that violent crime has surged over the past decade, claiming more than 250-thousand lives. She calls on all South Africans to demand change through their ‘decade of decline’ campaign:

# Cosatu has praised the High Court in Pretoria for dismissing challenges by the National Employers’ Association of South Africa and Sakeliga against the Employment Equity Act. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says this confirms the Employment and Employment minister’s authority to set sectoral targets, ensuring fair opportunities for all workers, regardless of race, gender, or disability. Parks stresses that employment equity advances inclusion and transformation:

# Eskom has welcomed the sentencing of supplier Jessie Kubheka by the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Mpumalanga. Kubheka received 12 years for fraud and four years for money laundering, both suspended for five years. He was also ordered to repay over two-million rand. The 2020 Tutuka power station case involved inflated invoices for containers that failed to meet specifications. Eskom has emphasises its zero-tolerance approach to corruption and continues to protect assets through its Group Investigations and Security Division.

# The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has approved the Cobas MPXV test for M-pox after a fast nine-day review using the African medicines regulatory harmonisation process. The approval, which also relied on the World Health Organisation emergency use listing, expands South Africa’s diagnostic capacity for early detection, timely treatment, and prevent the virus from spreading. SAHPRA spokesperson Yuven Gounden says the process marks a milestone in regional and continental regulatory harmonisation for medical devices.

# Rugby: Springbok assistant coach Tony Brown regards next Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against the All Blacks in Auckland as South Africa’s biggest since winning the World Cup in 2023. New Zealand hasn’t lost at Eden Park since 1994, while the Boks haven’t win there since 1937. South Africa beat the Kiwi’s in their last four meetings, including the World Cup final and twice last year. Brown says the Boks are excited while the All Blacks are desperate for victory, and he expects a huge battle.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-72-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 110-thousand-320-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-408-dollars-52-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-64-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….