News 07:00

BULLETIN 7 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says he is willing to extend the Madlanga Commission’s deadline
# AfriForum will oppose the Information Regulator’s latest matric results appeal
# And cricket: Marizanne Kapp makes the T20 Women’s World Cup Team of the Tournament

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is pleased with the work of the Madlanga Commission, which is an important step towards lasting reform in the police service. The commission was established after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s media briefing a year ago, in which he exposed alleged corruption within the country’s criminal justice system. Speaking on the sidelines of an event in the Eastern Cape yesterday, Ramaphosa stated that he is willing to consider any request from the commission to extend its deadline:

# Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, says he is encouraged by the findings of the World Bank’s study on South Africa’s Special Economic Zones programme. The study has established that South Africa has the infrastructure, legal framework, and institutional capacity to build a world-class SEZs programme. Tau says the study has confirmed the positive impact the programme has made on the economy. He adds that the department will review the findings and recommendations provided by the World Bank and expand the SEZ programme to increase its economic impact.

# AfriForum says it will oppose the Information Regulator’s latest attempt to stop the publication of matric results. This was after the regulator applied directly to the Supreme Court of Appeal for leave to appeal. Last month, the High Court in Pretoria dismissed its application for leave to appeal. AfriForum’s Alana Bailey says previous court rulings confirmed that publishing matric results using examination numbers protects learners’ privacy while serving the public interest:

# The Freedom Front Plus says years of poor planning, weak management and neglected maintenance have worsened the water crisis in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape. According to the party, the recent floods exposed deeper problems, with several reservoirs empty or critically low, thousands of residents without water, and some receiving discoloured tap water. The FF Plus’s Bill Harington claims the metro has spent just 22-percent of its infrastructure budget and faces a 44-percent vacancy rate in its water directorate.

# US president Donald Trump has issued another warning to Iran, declaring that the military is prepared to completely dismantle the country’s infrastructure if a diplomatic deal cannot be reached. Indirect US-Iran talks ended last week without any public sign of headway toward a lasting peace, despite a 60-day ceasefire intended to create space for diplomacy. Trump says the US is going to win one way or the other:

# Cricket: Marizanne Kapp is the only South African named in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament. The 36-year-old scored 124 runs and took eight wickets in the tournament, where the Proteas Women were knocked out in the semifinals by England. After clinching a record-extending seventh title, Australia has four players: team captain Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, and Ashleigh Gardner. Runner-up England has two representatives in Danni Wyatt-Hodge and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, while India, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Scotland have one.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-20-cents and the euro at 18-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-70-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-833-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-139-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-42-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….