News 11:00
BULLETIN 4 July 11 am
Good morning. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# The South African Federation of Trade Unions calls on president Ramaphosa to reverse the appointment of minister Pule
# City Power seizes a whopping ton of aluminium cable in a joint crackdown on illegal connections
# And: Donald Trump extols America and rails at communism at the 250th celebration of Independence Day
# The South African Federation of Trade Unions is calling on president Cyrl Ramaphosa to reverse his decision to appoint Dina Pule as minister of Social Development. SAFTU’s Asive Dyani says this decision is a serious blow to public confidence and further erodes the credibility of the President’s repeated commitment to ethical governance, accountability and the renewal of the state:
# Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the global automotive sector is shifting rapidly towards new energy vehicles. Mashatile warned that South Africa risks losing vital export markets by 2035 if the domestic industry does not successfully transition. He says government appreciate that Chery is leading this charge in Africa with NEV options across its range. He adds that South Africa is well positioned to serve the continent with vehicles through the African Continental Free Trade Area:
# The Electoral Commission is calling on South Africans to comment on the draft Electoral Code of Conduct on Countering Disinformation ahead of the 21 July deadline. The Commission has published the draft in the Government Gazette for public comment, marking an important milestone in safeguarding the integrity of electoral processes ahead of the 2026 local government elections. The IEC says the document seeks to establish clear principles and standards that encourage responsible conduct by all electoral participants and stakeholders.
# City Power has successfully seized just over a ton of aluminium cables during the latest operation to remove illegal connections and enforce compliance in several areas across the city of Johannesburg. Spokesperson Isaac Mangena says illegal connections, non-payment and repeated illegal reconnections place severe and unsustainable strain on the electricity network. He says these practices overload transformers and infrastructure that were never designed for such unregulated demand, causing voltage instability, frequent tripping and repeated power outages:
# US President Donald Trump called on Americans to protect the freedoms the nation’s founders envisioned 250 years ago against what he has portrayed as the communist threat posed by progressive Democrats. Speaking on the eve of Independence Day at Mount Rushmore he tied his anti-communist rhetoric to the anti-immigrant theme that fuelled his election and has been historically part of the criticism of communism in the United States. Trump has been making points about gains by democratic socialists for a week now, calling their victories the greatest threat to the country since its founding.
# And motorsport: Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at the British Grand Prix with a supreme qualifying lap in his Ferrari to beat Mercedes’ 19-year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The seven-time world champion enjoyed a memorable day at his home event where he has won a record nine times in the British Grand Prix. Four-time champion Max Verstappen snatched third for Red Bull ahead of Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari and George Russell in the second Mercedes. World champion Lando Norris was sixth ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Stay tuned for more news………….