News 16:00

BULLETIN 2 September 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Defence Force will hold joint Naval exercises with Russia and China during the G20 summit
# The PSA warns against interference as 121 political killing dockets are returned to the task team
# And Israel intensifies military build-up to capture Gaza City

# The South African National Defence Force will go ahead with joint Naval exercises with Russia and China in November, at the same time as the G20 summit. According to News24, the drills will take place in the Western Cape and are likely to raise more tension with the US, which recently cancelled its last military exercise with South Africa. The SANDF insists the exercises are part of a balanced foreign policy, but the timing has sparked renewed questions over South Africa’s claim of non-alignment in global affairs.

# The Public Servants Association has commended national police commissioner, Fannie Masemola, for returning 121 political killing dockets to the KwaZulu-Natal task team to speed up investigations. The PSA believes the unit has the expertise to deliver swift justice in cases where progress has stalled for months. The association’s Claude Naiker cautions acting Police minister Firoz Cachalia and president Cyril Ramaphosa against interfering, as delays only deepen the pain of victims’ families:

# Tourism minister Patricia de Lille says she dissolved the South African Tourism Board following a Special Investigating Unit report into irregular expenditure, including the failed Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship. Addressing Parliament’s portfolio committee on Tourism, De Lille dismissed claims of political interference and corruption, insisting her actions were within the Constitution. She revealed ongoing governance failures, including excessive board meetings, a lack of a permanent chief financial official, and unlawful resolutions:

Moving abroad:

# Israel intensified its military build-up as reservists began responding to call-up orders ahead of a planned offensive to capture Gaza City, nearly two years into the devastating war. Despite mounting pressure at home and abroad to end its campaign, Israel is gearing up to seize Gaza’s largest city, intensifying bombardments and operating in the outskirts in recent days. In a statement, the military said it had been carrying out logistical and operational preparations ahead of expanded combat operations and the large-scale mobilisation of reservists.

# Soccer: Orlando Pirates fans are calling for former coach José Riveiro to return as technical director after his sacking by Egyptian giants Al Ahly. Riveiro, who left Pirates in May, was dismissed after four games, ending with a 2-0 loss to Pyramids FC. His three-year spell at Pirates saw three MTN8 titles, two Nedbank Cups, and a CAF Champions League semi-final, cementing his legendary status among fans.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 20-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-536-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-490-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….