News 17:00

BULLETIN 27 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says Africa must create opportunities to reduce migration
# The Madlanga Commission questions Andrea Johnson over her subpoena approvals
# And, the Department of Education urges parents to apply early for the 2027 Gauteng school admissions

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says African countries must create more economic opportunities, improve governance and resolve conflict to reduce migration driven by necessity. Addressing the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, Ramaphosa said migration should be managed fairly while protecting human dignity and the rule of law. He also urged African nations to work together to address the root causes of migration and build a continent where people migrate by choice rather than out of desperation:

# The Madlanga Commission has questioned Investigating Directorate Against Corruption head Advocate Andrea Johnson over her approval of subpoenas for Crime Intelligence security clearance records. Commissioner Sesi Baloyi asked whether Johnson independently verified the names listed or relied on investigators’ briefings before signing the documents. Johnson said she trusted the information presented to her. Baloyi cautioned that relying exclusively on investigators without verification could leave the authorisation process vulnerable to manipulation.

# The GOOD Party says the DA must explain why it was permitted to use Cape Town’s official Council Chamber for an internal party-political gathering. This is while the metro’s elected Council continues to conduct its formal meetings online. GOOD’s Sandra Dickson says this creates an extraordinary contradiction. She says the DA apparently enjoys physical access to the Council Chamber for its own internal activities, while opposition councillors and the democratic institution of Council are kept out of it:

# The Gauteng Department of Education announced that online applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 admissions for the 2027 academic year will open at 8 am on 5 August and close at midnight on 4 September. Spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana says parents and legal guardians should apply through the Gauteng Online Admissions System and submit supporting documents within seven school days. He urged parents to apply early, provide accurate information, and select between three and five schools to improve placement opportunities

# Motorsport: Formula One has added Malaysia to this year’s schedule as the host of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The ongoing Middle East conflict resulted in the cancellation of April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The race, now called the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, will be at the Sepang International Circuit from the second to the fourth of October. F1 president Stefano Domenicali says the sport has once again demonstrated its ability to adapt, find solutions, and deliver. The current schedule has now increased to 23 races.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-75-cents against the rand and the euro at 19-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-14-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-83-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 92-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….