News 18:00

BULLETIN 16 July 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Phala Phala court battle enters a waiting game as judgment is reserved
# The Madlanga Commission hears Fadiel Adams’ complaint triggered Khumalo’s investigation
# And, the veteran actor Seputla Sebogodi dies at 63

# Judgment is expected by the end of next week in president Cyril Ramaphosa’s urgent application to halt Parliament’s section 89 impeachment process linked to the Phala Phala scandal. The Western Cape High Court’s judgment will determine whether the impeachment process can proceed while Ramaphosa’s review application is still before the courts. Parliament’s Impeachment Committee chairperson, Makashule Gana, says the committee will continue with preparatory work until the court delivers its ruling:

# The Madlanga Commission has heard that suspended Police minister Senzo Mchunu’s chief of staff, Cedric Nkabinde, referred Member of Parliament Fadiel Adams’ complaint to the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption in November 2024. The referral led to an investigation involving Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo and other senior SAPS officers. Evidence leader Mahlape Sello said the complaint included several case dockets registered between October and November 2024:

# A subsidiary of the Standard Bank Group, Standard Lesotho Bank, has become the first bank in Lesotho to launch China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System. The platform enables faster, more efficient cross-border payments in Chinese renminbi, reducing costs and settlement times for businesses trading with China. The bank says the move will strengthen trade links, improve access to international markets and support economic growth. The launch also aligns Lesotho with broader efforts to expand Africa’s financial connectivity with China’s payment infrastructure.

# Soccer: Half-time in Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey could last up to 25 minutes due to the Super Bowl-style show being planned. It will feature musical superstars such as Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira. The match will be preceeded by a closing ceremony which will include performances by celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Robbie Williams and Nicole Sherzinger, while Jennifer Hudson will sing the American anthem. Defending champion Argentina will face 2010 winner Spain in the title match.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-42-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-564-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-991-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-22-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the veteran South African actor Seputla Sebogodi has died following complications related to diabetes. Best known for his role as Kenneth Mashaba in Generations, Sebogodi’s career spanned more than five decades across television and theatre. He also starred in Scandal!, Suburban Bliss and Redemption, while earning acclaim for numerous stage productions. His family described him as a giant of South African theatre and television, saying his remarkable body of work and the many lives he touched will ensure his legacy lives on.

Stay tuned for more news………….