News 06:00

BULLETIN 13 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says South Africa must remain committed to the peaceful resolution of conflict
# Tourism growth remains strong amid the immigration protests
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus breathes a sigh of relief after winning against Scotland

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the consequences of war remind everyone that leaders have a profound responsibility to pursue peace. He attended the 110th commemoration of the Battle of Delville Wood at the South African Memorial in Longueval, France, yesterday. This honoured the courage and sacrifice of South African soldiers who fought during the Battle of Delville Wood in July 1916. Ramaphosa said the First World War was born of militarism, imperial rivalry, nationalism, and the failure of diplomacy. He added that South Africa must remain committed to the peaceful resolution of conflict.

# Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille says South Africa’s tourism sector continues to grow despite ongoing immigration protests. De Lille says the country welcomed more than 4.7-million visitors between January and May, a 12.8-percent increase compared to the same period last year. Visitor numbers from the African continent also rose by six-percent in May. De Lille says government continues engaging regional partners as immigration continues to be a major challenge:

# Businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala is expected to tell the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court today whether he accepts or rejects a proposed 12-year prison sentence in the 288-million-rand SAPS-Medicare24 tender fraud case. Magistrate Ignatius Petrus du Preez rejected an earlier plea agreement for an effective eight-year term, saying it was too lenient. If Matlala declines the revised deal, the plea agreement could collapse, and the matter may proceed to trial. He is also expected to testify before the Madlanga Commission this week.

# A News24 investigation has raised questions around Ekurhuleni’s multi-billion-rand chemical toilet tenders. The investigation examines how a company linked to a former connection of EFF leader Julius Malema allegedly benefited from contracts worth about 1.6-billion-rand. The report forms part of wider scrutiny into the municipality’s sanitation deals, including concerns raised over tender processes and oversight. Authorities and affected parties have faced calls for transparency, while investigations into alleged irregularities continue.

# US president Donald Trump has paid tribute to Republican Senator and his close ally, Lindsey Graham, who passed away over the weekend. The 71-year-old reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest at his home on Capitol Hill. He had served in the Senate since 2003, representing South Carolina, and was running for re-election in November. Graham had just returned from Ukraine, where he met president Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday. Trump told CNN that Graham was a true American Patriot who would be greatly missed:

# Rugby: The Boks’ head coach Rassie Erasmus is breathing a sigh of relief following a much-changed Springbok team that struggled through their Nations Championships game against Scotland at Loftus. While the Boks won by 42 to 28, Erasmus said the team showed where the gaps were and what needed to be learned. Erasmus said it is much nicer when you win and learn than when you lose, and you learn. He added they knew cohesion would be a problem with 12 players who had fewer than ten caps.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-34-cents and the euro at 18-rand-63-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-772-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-83-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….