News 17:00

BULLETIN 3 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# OUTA says state-owned enterprises board independence must not become an accountability shield
# Feroz Khan’s lawyers hint at a legal challenge
# And tennis, Carlos Alcaraz plans to take longer breaks to prevent another serious injury

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says the boards of state-owned enterprises must be independent but still held accountable. New research by the organisation calls for merit-based board appointments, independent performance reviews, stronger parliamentary oversight and consequences for governance failures. OUTA’s Robyn Pasensie says fixed pay can help protect board independence, but accountability must be strengthened to prevent poor governance and financial crises:

# Lawyers for former Crime Intelligence deputy head major-general Feroz Khan have hinted at challenging his dismissal, calling the process irregular and procedurally unfair. Khan was fired after failing to attend an internal disciplinary hearing while facing serious allegations. His bid to halt the dismissal was dismissed by the Labour Court this week. His lawyers argue his medical condition should have been considered. Police maintain disciplinary rules apply to all members, regardless of rank or position.

# The City of Cape Town is urging residents to comment on the Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan, which guides the priorities and activities of the Urban Mobility Directorate to achieve an integrated transport system. The plan addresses the need for a diagnosis of the central transport problem in the metro and strengthening mechanisms to enable spatial restructuring of urban areas to improve efficiency and accessibility. Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, says the metro puts people at the centre of its transport planning:

# A thick haze from wildfires in Indonesia is spreading across Southeast Asia as a powerful El Niño brings hotter and drier conditions. Millions of people in Indonesia, Malaysia and neighbouring countries are being exposed to potentially hazardous air. Indonesia has recorded nearly 95-thousand hectares of land burned in July alone, while authorities have detected thousands of fire hotspots. The smoke has already forced school closures and cancelled outdoor events in parts of Malaysia. Officials fear the situation could worsen as El Niño reaches its peak this month.

# Tennis: World number three Carlos Alcaraz plans to take longer breaks between tournaments to avoid a repetition of his four-month injury lay-off. The defending champion is still on course for a third US Open title after reaching the third round. The 23-year-old Spaniard says the current demands are impossible to keep up with. He says the governing body, ATP, is just adding more and more tournaments, leading to about 40 out of 52 weeks of the year on court, and lots of players are getting injured or tired.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-99-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-60-cents and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-498-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-488-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 98-dollars-34-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….