News 13:00

BULLETIN 5 July 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A bus association says the government must employ the youth to assist in the repatriation process
# IPID arrests a suspect implicated in the theft of precious stones valued at almost 15-million-rand
# And rugby: Sweis de Bruin is pleased with the win against the USA, but not with his team’s second-half performance

# The African Unite Borders Bus Trucks Association has condemned the government for using lucrative tenders for the repatriation of Malawian and Zimbabwean foreign nationals. Association chairperson, Mukhwathi Phumudzo, says the government must use the fund to source and hire unemployed young people to assist with the process. He is demanding strict investigations and organised coordination to address the transport of undocumented migrants from KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape to the Musina port of Entry:

# Deputy minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, emphasised that South Africa needs a broader and more sustained science engagement programme. She says around the world, countries that have successfully advanced to high-income status have done so by placing science, research, and innovation at the centre of government policy, industry, and education. The deputy minister says South Africa has world-class scientists and globally recognised research institutions:

# The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has arrested one suspect for the seizure and theft of precious stones valued at just under 15-million-rand from a private residence in Killarney, Johannesburg, in 2023. IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping says police are on the trail of two suspects whom they could not locate on Friday night. She says six suspects, including officers from the Ekurhuleni Metro Police, Gauteng Traffic Police, Johannesburg Metro Police, and a businessman accused of posing as a police officers, raided a property without a warrant and seized precious stones:

#  President Donald Trump marked the 250th anniversary of the United States on Saturday with a campaign-style speech on the National Mall in Washington.  After a storm-related delay of nearly two hours, Trump delivered a speech that mixed broad appeals to patriotism with pointed attacks on perceived ideological threats at home and abroad. Before Trump, presidents generally avoided in-person appearances at July 4 celebrations, but he has blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign-style politics. Aside from a similar address he gave in 2019, no US president has delivered a July 4 speech on the Mall since 1951.

# Rugby: Swys de Bruin rated the Springbok Women’s first half performance against the USA Eagles Women at Ellis Park as the best 40 minutes of rugby since he was appointed as head coach, but admitted their second half effort fell short of the same standard in a match they won 34-21. The first half effort yielded a 29-0 lead at the break, but the visitors had much more parity in the second half and cut into the lead by the Springbok Women with three tries. The second Test against the USA will be played at Loftus on Saturday.

# And finally: The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says the late Ntuthuko Mahlaba was a foundational pillar of the provincial leadership, and his life was a masterclass in organic leadership. The 44-year-old was struck by a vehicle while jogging in Newcastle on Saturday morning. The ANC says at the time of his passing, Mahlaba was serving with distinction as a member of the Provincial Task Team and the Chairperson of Committees in the provincial legislature, a role he executed with absolute institutional mastery and intellectual depth.

Stay tuned for more news………….