News 07:00

BULLETIN 17 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa calls on people around the world to build a just and inclusive society
# BOSA calls on minister Godongwana to dissolve the Public Investment Corporation board
# And mixed martial arts: Du Plessis hopes the fight against Usman will start his journey back to the world title

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is encouraging people globally to embrace the values of compassion, service, and active citizenship to help combat poverty and inequity. Tomorrow is Nelson Mandela International Day, observed under the theme, “It is still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity,” with the call to action, “It is in your hands now.” Mandela Day encourages people to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to service to others. Ramaphosa calls on people to help build a more just and compassionate society:

# Build One South Africa is calling on the minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, to dissolve the Public Investment Corporation board. This comes after CEO Patrick Dlamini was recently placed on precautionary suspension following whistleblower allegations of unethical conduct. Two non-executive directors have also resigned, citing governance concerns. BOSA says the board cannot credibly claim to be restoring governance while it remains the very body under whose watch repeated allegations of dysfunction, internal conflict, whistleblower complaints, and executive instability have unfolded.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has launched an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court to suspend phase two of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences system. They argue that the government introduced the amended law before key legal safeguards were in place. OUTA’s Andrea van Heerden supports road safety but believes the government must comply with its legal and constitutional obligations before enforcing the new system across the 62 municipalities:

# Police have launched a manhunt for a second suspect in connection with the murder of EFF Tshwane Region 2 Secretary and Election Coordinator, Monicca Dube. She was shot and killed at her home in Wallmannsthal, north of Pretoria, last month. Thirty-five-year-old suspect Sipho Mahlangu appeared in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court, east of Pretoria, in connection with the murder. National Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says Dube previously survived an attempt on her life in March:

# Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has accused the US of committing numerous war crimes, particularly by targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure. The US military has carried out several strikes in Iran this week, targeting command centres, air defence sites, and coastal surveillance facilities, and also degrading the country’s ability to threaten ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on US allies in the region. The Foreign Ministry has defended its strikes on neighbouring nations, saying they are consistent with the country’s lawful right of self-defence under international law.

# Mixed martial arts: South African fighter Dricus du Plessis hopes to start his journey back to the UFC middleweight world title in Sunday’s fight against Nigerian-American Kamara Usman in the US city of Oklahoma. He defended his belt twice before succumbing to Russian Khamzat Chimaev in August last year. Thirty-two-year-old Du Plessis believes victory over Usman won’t be enough to earn him a world title fight, but will grab the UFC bosses’ attention by giving a performance that eliminated any doubt that he’s the best in the world.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-43-cents and the euro at 18-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-657-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-988-dollars-29-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….