News 13:00

BULLETIN 27 July 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Five people are killed and one is wounded in an early morning Cape Town shooting
# The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed three-thousand cases
# And rugby: Three debutants are included in a strong 44-man All Blacks squad for the tour of South Africa

# Five people have been killed and another was wounded in a mass shooting at a house in Gugulethu, Cape Town. Police say two armed suspects forced their way into the home by kicking down the front door during the early hours of this morning. Police spokesperson André Traut says four men and a woman were found dead at the scene, while another victim was taken to hospital. He says detectives from the Serious and Violent Crime Unit are investigating the attack.

# The Soil of Africa civic movement has welcomed president Cyril Ramaphosa’s acceptance of the resignation of Andrea Johnson as head of the Investigating Directorate against Corruption. The movement’s spokesperson, Luzuko Sofute, says the fight against corruption remains one of South Africa’s greatest national priorities. He says Johnson’s resignation must never weaken the country’s resolve to investigate, prosecute, and eradicate corruption wherever it exists:

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa says government is acting firmly against corruption and criminal networks that are benefiting from irregular water contracts and damage to infrastructure. Last week, he released the National Water Action Plan, which sets out government’s plan to address the root causes of water supply failures in municipalities. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says South Africa is a water-scarce country and therefore, continued investment in water infrastructure is imperative to secure long-term water supply. He adds everyone is committed to ending the country’s water crisis.

Moving abroad:

# The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed three-thousand confirmed cases, with three-thousand-75 infections recorded across five provinces. Nearly 90-percent of cases have been reported in the northeastern province of Ituri, which borders South Sudan and Uganda, according to the World Health Organization. The outbreak passed the two-thousand case mark on 15 July. The WHO says health authorities are continuing surveillance, treatment, and vaccination campaigns to contain the virus and prevent further spread of the deadly disease.

# Rugby: All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has named a strong 44-man squad for the Greatest Rivalry tour of South Africa. He has retained all 34 players from their successful Nations Championship campaign, while adding ten players for the seven-week tour. Siale Lauaki, Josh Jacomb and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa are the debutants, while experienced Reiko Ioane is one of seven players being recalled. Rennie says the tour will challenge the squad:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-71-cents and the euro at 19-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-81-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-93-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 90-dollars-80-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….