It’s Monday, 3 August, and this is News Bite with Marcelle Gordon.
South Africa faces a mixed August fuel-price adjustment from Wednesday. Petrol will fall by 52 cents a litre, while diesel will rise by between R1.23 and R1.38 a litre. The department links the changes to higher international diesel prices, a weaker rand and renewed geopolitical tension.
Iran says no talks are under way with the United States, contradicting Donald Trump’s claim that discussions would take place on Monday. Trump said the planned talks were why he had called off a threatened large-scale attack on Iran.
The Department of Social Development is warning about fake overseas job offers used by criminal syndicates to lure victims into human trafficking. The alert follows the rescue of South Africans from scam compounds in Myanmar.
Residents say the Pikitup crisis has left Alexandra buried in rubbish. Trucks were deployed over the weekend, but little progress has been made as protests at the Marlboro depot continue to delay collections.
The IEC has added more than 750,000 first-time voters across two registration weekends, including 291,000 this past weekend. More than 1.7-million people interacted with the IEC, and 26% of weekend transactions came from people aged 16 to 29. Online registration remains open until midnight on 7 August.
In other news we’re keeping an eye on, the case against alleged political fixer Brown Mogotsi has been postponed to 20 August to allow full disclosure of the docket. A defence request for some witnesses’ details was rejected over security concerns.
Firefighters are cooling isolated hotspots after the Table Mountain fire. Evacuations were ordered, but no injuries or property damage have been reported. The cause remains under investigation.
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Banyana Banyana must beat Burkina Faso to keep their Women’s AFCON quarter-final hopes alive, but they also need a favourable result between Ivory Coast and Tanzania. A draw would eliminate Desiree Ellis’s side.
Calls for VAR in South African football are set to intensify after a disputed penalty decision during Polokwane City’s 2-1 win over Richards Bay was awarded, reversed, and then changed back to a corner.
And finally, Quade Cooper is eyeing a Wallabies comeback at 38 ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia. Bernard Foley and James O’Connor are also reportedly exploring international returns.
That’s your News Bite for 3 August.
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