News 11:00

BULLETIN 11 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says Hlophe’s appointment to the Judicial Service Commission is morally wrong
# Ian Cameron says he is ready to make South Africa safer
# And, the UK will continue its military support to Ukraine

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the discontent about the election of impeached Western Cape judge president John Hlophe to the Judicial Service Commission is valid. The National Assembly on Tuesday carried a motion to elect Hlophe, who was impeached for gross misconduct, as the designated representative for the MK Party on the JSC. In an interview with the SABC, Mbalula says Hlophe’s election is very concerning, especially for the judiciary:

Meanwhile, DA member of Parliament, Ian Cameron, who is the new chairperson of the portfolio committee on Police, says he is ready for the work ahead to create a safer country. The former crime activist has in the past been very vocal about the police’s failures, specifically under the leadership of former minister Bheki Cele. Cameron says the committee plans to provide proper oversight of the Police Service and hold it accountable:

# The DA in Gauteng is urging Education MEC Matome Chiloane to promptly review the current learner transport policy. This comes after a double-cab bakkie collided with a learner transport vehicle in Merafong, Carletonville, claiming the lives of 12 learners and their driver. The DA’s Sergio Isa dos Santos says the current transport policy has failed to adequately serve learners:

# Newly elected British prime minister Keir Starmer says his government will stick with plans to spend at least 69.8-billion-rand every year on military support for Ukraine. He met with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Washington yesterday. Starmer says the military aid, which also includes humanitarian and economic support, will continue until at least 2030-’31. He has also called on NATO allies to increase defence spending in response to rising global threats, including from Russia.

# Rugby: Loosehead prop Fin Baxter will make his first start for England in the second Test against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday. The 22-year-old, who made his Test debut from the bench in last week’s narrow 16-15 loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin, replaces the injured Joe Marler. Bevan Rodd comes into the squad to back up Baxter on the bench. England needs to win to level the two-Test series at a venue where the All Blacks have not lost for 30 years.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-10-cents and the euro at 19-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 57-thousand-958-dollars-54-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-381-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….