News 12:00

BULLETIN 1 July 12pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Steenhuisen says the DA is represented in every cluster in the new government
# Eskom adds 800 megawatts to the grid as Kusile Unit 5 achieves commercial operation
# And tennis: Big stars are in action on the first day of Wimbledon

# DA leader John Steenhuisen says the appointment of cabinet in the government of national unity, paves the way to start delivering for South Africans. The DA has secured six ministerial and six deputy ministerial positions. These include Steenhuisen as minister of Agriculture, Siviwe Gwarube as minister of Basic Education, and Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber. Steenhuisen says the DA is the only other party that is now represented across every one of the clusters in government:

Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement says it is relieved that president Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the new cabinet and the prolonged power struggle for positions has finally come to an end. Ramaphosa announced 75 ministers and deputy ministers, making it one of the country’s largest national executives in democratic history. ATM’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshona Reax, urges the new government to prioritise the needs and interests of citizens in all decision-making processes:

# Following six months of rigorous testing and optimisation, the Kusile power station’s Unit 5 has officially been added to the Eskom fleet. The official handover of the unit adds a much-needed 800 megawatts to the power utility’s grid and marks a significant milestone in the utility’s efforts to stabilise South Africa’s power supply. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says upon completion, the Kusile power station will consist of six units, producing a maximum of four-thousand-800 megawatts:

# Tennis: Defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz opens play on Centre Court on the first day of Wimbledon today. The Spaniard will take on the world number 262, Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal. Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon title last year and has since added a third Grand Slam title at the French Open. World number one Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauf and Emma Raducanu are among the other stars involved on the first day of The Championship.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-3-cents and the euro at 19-rand-40-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-174-dollars-99-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-323-dollars-10-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Water and soft drink bottles made from polyethene terephthalate sink at sea unless they contain trapped air, whereas their lids are made from polymers that float and can drift long distances. This is according to a study by researchers at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela University. Researchers collected more than 13-thousand-200 lids at 20 beaches along South Africa’s south-west coast. The study found that lids outnumber bottles at most beaches due to their buoyancy and dispersal patterns.

Stay tuned for more news………….