News 18:00

BULLETIN 6 August 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA calls for the immediate dismissal of Julius Mkhwanazi
# The Bargaining Council dismisses John Steenhuisen’s former chief of staff, Roman Cabanac’s five-million-rand claim
# And, Ukraine hits two Russian oil refineries in long-range attacks

# ActionSA has called on Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla to immediately terminate the employment of suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi. The party says senior officials must uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability. ActionSA spokesperson Tumelo Tshabalala argues that failing to act undermines public confidence and weakens governance. He says the dismissal would send a clear message that no public official is above the law:

# Former Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen’s ex-chief of staff, Roman Cabanac, has lost his five-million-rand unfair dismissal claim against the Department of Agriculture. The bargaining council reportedly ruled that it had no jurisdiction because Cabanac’s employment was conditional on obtaining security clearance, which he failed to secure after refusing to give up his French citizenship. His contract was terminated in June last year after the State Security Agency denied his security clearance.

# EFF leader Julius Malema has sparked a heated confrontation during a sitting of Parliament’s impeachment committee after accusing ANC MP Cameron Dugmore of racism and white supremacy. This followed after Dugmore criticised Malema as unparliamentary when he called minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni by her first name. The presiding official had to intervene and restore order. Dugmore has a history in the struggle against apartheid. His activism dates back to his teenage years, when he helped remove apartheid signs from beaches, influenced by his mother, who was a Black Sash member.

# Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says the military has hit two Russian oil refineries in long-range attacks. Refineries in Bashkortostan and Yaroslavl were hit and huge clouds of black smoke were seen over the cities. Russian officials say 93 drones have been destroyed, but oil storage tanks have been hit by falling debris. The Russian military says it has intercepted and destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones in multiple regions, with three people reportedly killed. Ukraine has launched a series of strikes on Russian infrastructure recently, including refineries and warehouses.

# Golf: LIV Golf has reached an agreement with a new unnamed investor following months of deliberations. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced in April it was ending funding to the breakaway league at the end of this year. The new deal is expected to be completed next month. LIV Golf’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, says as part of the arrangement, players will also own a majority equity stake in the league:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-31-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-368-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-267-dollars-44-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-24-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….