News 08:00

BULLETIN 9 July 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The African Transformation Movement says Parliament must summon the Public Protector over Senzo Mchunu
# The Joburg mayor defends a 3.8-billion-rand German bank loan
# And, Netanyahu says he opposes the US selling F35 fighter jets to Turkey

# The African Transformation Movement says it wants Public Protector, Kholeka Gcaleka, to account to Parliament for her slow pace in finalising its complaint against suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu. KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused Mchunu of, amongst other things, political interference in criminal investigations and playing a role in the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team. ATM spokesperson, Zama Ntshona, says a year after lodging their complaint, there has been no feedback from Gcaleka:

# The EFF has warned National Treasury against pursuing what it calls a path that seeks to collapse the state and reduce it to a mere spectator. The party has condemned the Treasury’s decision to temporarily withhold 13.5-billion-rand in local government equitable share transfers from 69 non-compliant municipalities. The EFF says to resolve the fiscal crisis, it proposes the revision of the equitable share formula to boost the municipal allocation to over 15-percent of nationally raised revenue, up from the current nine-percent. It says constructive steps are needed to stabilise local government finances.

# Johannesburg mayor, Dada Morero, has defended the metro’s decision to secure a 3.8-billion-rand loan from German state-owned development bank KfW. The loan will enable City Power to accelerate network refurbishment, metering upgrades, and renewable energy projects to improve energy security across the metro. Approximately 1.75-billion-rand has also been earmarked for Johannesburg Water capital projects. Morero says the metro is borrowing responsibly, emphasising that the loan is essential to address its financial and service-delivery challenges.

# Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu says he has urged US president Donald Trump directly not to sell F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, warning that this would “destroy” the balance of power in the Middle East. Earlier this week, Trump indicated that he was willing to overturn a ban on the sale of the jets to Ankara that he put in place during his first term. Netanyahu told CNN that Turkey is not exactly a model ally of the US:

# Tennis: British wild card Arthur Fery defeated Italian ninth seed Flavio Cobolli, 6-4, 7-6, 6-0, to reach the semifinals for the first time. The 23-year-old is only the fifth British player to make the last four of the men’s singles in the Open era. Fery will next face Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who beat American Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. In the women’s draw, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a semifinal clash with Czech Linda Noskova following her 6-3, 7-5 victory over Belgium’s Elise Mertens.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-38-cents and the euro at 18-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-94-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-966-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-62-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-47-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….