News 12:00

BULLETIN 28 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa and Nigeria agree to strengthen cooperation on migration and regional security
# Jacob Zuma dissolves the MK Party’s presidential task team
# And the deadline looms for SASSA’s gold card replacement

# South Africa and Nigeria have agreed to strengthen cooperation on migration, crime and regional security. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, met with Nigerian president Bola Tinubu during a diplomatic mission to Abuja on behalf of president Cyril Ramaphosa. His spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, says concerns were raised regarding the involvement of certain foreign nationals, including Nigerian citizens, in organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, and financial fraud:

# MK Party leader Jacob Zuma has dissolved the party’s presidential task team and replaced it with a new strategic presidential team, which will be the organisation’s highest decision-making body. This comes after he placed the party’s finances under his personal control last week amid allegations of misappropriation of funds. Zuma says the dissolution of the task team is aimed at strengthening the leadership architecture, consolidate strategic authority, eliminate fragmentation in decision-making and ensure disciplined, unified and effective execution of party resolutions.

# SASSA beneficiaries still using the old gold cards have until the end of August to replace them with the new Postbank black cards. Those who fail to switch before the deadline may be unable to access their social grant payments from September. SASSA is urging beneficiaries to visit designated replacement sites as soon as possible to avoid disruptions. The agency says the new Postbank black cards are being introduced to improve the security and reliability of grant payment services.

Moving abroad:

# More than 170 civilians have reportedly been killed and one-thousand-and-28 injured in Ukraine since 9 July, amid intensified Russian attacks. At least 16-thousand-431 civilians have been killed in Kyiv since Moscow’s war started in February 2022, including 803 children. The United Nations’ Indrika Ratwatte says continued hostilities in Ukraine are inflicting mounting harm on civilians, damaging critical infrastructure and threatening wider global food and energy security:

# Tennis: Women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic will play the US Open mixed doubles, which starts on August 25th in New York. Last year’s runners-up, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, have entered along with Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, and the Japanese duo of Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori. Six teams with the best combined singles ranking will be automatically entered into the main draw. Eight teams will be given wild cards, and the final two places will be decided through a qualifying tournament.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-77-cents and the euro at 19-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-406-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-49-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 88-dollars-30-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….