News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA in Gauteng’s deputy speaker is to resign
# The GOOD Party accuses the DA and the City of Cape Town of cadre deployment
# And motorsport: A young British sensation gets a fulltime F1 position at Haas

# DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga has confirmed that Gauteng Legislature deputy speaker Refiloe Ntsekhe will tender her resignation. This follows the DA’s decision not to join the provincial government of unity after talks failed. Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi announced a new executive council with no DA members. Msimanga says the DA will now serve as the official opposition in the Legislature:

# The GOOD Party in the Western Cape says the appointment of its former councillor, Shireen August, in the office of the Cape Town mayor reeks of nepotism and cadre deployment. Her husband, Shaun August, was expelled as the party’s national organiser and member of the provincial legislature. GOOD’s Siyabulela Mamkeli says the DA and the City of Cape Town must come clean to the public about August’s appointment:

# China has confirmed that an armed attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo left several of its citizens dead or missing. Local sources told press agency AFP a militia attack on a mining site in gold-rich Ituri province killed at least four Chinese nationals. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said a private Chinese company in the DRC was attacked by armed forces, resulting in the death and disappearance of several Chinese nationals, without specifying the number.

# Motorsport: Young British driver Oliver Bearman will race in Formula One fulltime from next year after being contracted by Haas. The 19-year-old impressed in March when he replaced Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix when the Spaniard had to undergo appendix surgery, and ended in seventh position. That made him the third youngest driver in F1 history. Haas uses Ferrari engines. Bearman joined the Italian team’s academy in 2021 and progressed through F4, F3 and F2 since.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-38-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-431-dollars-59-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-357-dollars-40-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-75-cents a barrel.

# And finally: For many British voters today’s outing to the poles seems to have turned into a family affair. They use the opportunity to explain the principles of democracy to their children, but at the same time let the dogs out. Luna the Cockapoo was one of the first to arrive at a venue in southwest London. Also in London, George the Cocker Spaniel joined his one-year-old human sister Darcey as their parents voted. Even the felines went “walkies”, with Louie the cat happily posing outside a polling station in Buckinghamshire.

Stay tuned for more news………….