News 09:00

BULLETIN 28 June 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa is still waiting for an announcement on the appointment of a cabinet
# The measures for an upcoming national dialogue are outlined
# And Joe Biden stumbles in testy debate with Donald Trump

# Two weeks after his election as president, Ramaphosa is yet to announce a Cabinet. And now talks between the ANC and DA are reduced to letters and phone calls between leaders about cabinet positions, specifically the important one of Trade and Industry. According to News24 the DA met last night to discuss the way forward, while the ANC was adamant it would not budge on the DTI. The party is gearing up to form a government without the DA, with parties that could help it cross the line in Parliament on confidence motions and to pass budgets.

# A Smile ID report has indicated South African ID fraud tops the continental list, urging the swift phase out of the green barcoded ID book. Despite introducing the smart ID card over a decade ago, the government has yet to retire the old IDs. Security expert Andy Mashaile highlighted the vulnerability of the green ID book to theft and fraud. He told SABC News smart IDs are five times less likely to be used for fraud:

# The Thabo Mbeki Foundation says the upcoming National Dialogue seeks to outline measures needed to tackle South Africa’s political crisis. Following the foundation’s call for discussions on the country’s future, Chairperson Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi highlighted the need for collective efforts from all sectors of society. She indicated that the dialogue will engage communities at all levels to revive the nation’s political, economic, and social fabric:

# Coming into Thursday evening, many Americans were worried about Joe Biden’s age and fitness for office. A former Democrat congresswoman, Stephanie Murphy, told the BBC that there were moments when Joe Biden did show his age and it was difficult to understand him. However, she says Donald Trump made comments that “weren’t exactly true” and that would require fact-checking. She also had concerns about Trump’s unwillingness to say he would accept the outcome of the election. She says that overall, the debate highlighted Biden’s old age, while the controlled format helped Trump deliver a more measured performance.

# Rugby: The 14th edition of the World Rugby U20 Championships returns to the Mother City for the second consecutive year from tomorrow until 19 July. The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the tournament sees the world’s 12 best nations competing over five match days at the Athlone Stadium, Cape Town Stadium, and  Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-49-cents and the euro at 19-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-36-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-551-dollars-16-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-323-dollars-49-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….