News 17:00

BULLETIN 15 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Ministry of Police wants outdated legislation amended
# Minister Schreiber says his department has already reduced the visa backlog by almost 93-thousand
# And, rugby: The Bok women say they are not going to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower

# The Ministry of Police has announced plans to have the outdated South African Police Service Act amended to better address modern crime-fighting needs. The amendments aim to address current challenges, including rising crime rates, gang violence, and the prevalence of illegal firearms. In a media briefing minister Senzo Mchunu said these legislative changes are crucial for improving public safety and building trust in the police:

# Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says his department’s dedicated team has already reduced the visa backlog by processing 92-thousand-886 applications out of a total of 306-thousand. This is a reduction of 30-percent. Schreiber tabled the department’s budget in Parliament. He says a further urgent priority in improving the dignity of interactions with Home Affairs is to stabilise the online system:

# The Western Cape has been declared a disaster area following severe weather last week. Premier Alan Winde and Co-operative Governance minister Velenkosini Hlabisa made the declaration this morning in Cape Town. The cost of damage is still pending. Hlabisa stated efforts should be directed at mitigating the impact of climate change. He says the government of national unity will prioritise residents in low-lying areas:

# The Association for Savings and Investment South Africa has warned the new two-pot retirement system’s provision for accessing savings in financial distress carries significant tax implications. Withdrawals are taxed at the marginal rate, potentially escalating members into higher tax brackets. The association highlights an example in which withdrawing 80-thousand-rand could incur an additional 21-thousand-275-rand in taxes. Long-term impacts include forfeiting substantial investment growth, with 80-thousand-rand withdrawn at age 40 potentially costing 121-thousand-958 in future value by retirement age, without accounting for inflation.

# Rugby: The Springbok Women’s Sevens team has arrived in France with a firm understanding of what their first participation in the Olympic Games means. And according to one of the team’s star performers, Nadine Roos, they are also going all out to chase a podium finish. She says they are not there to take selfies at the Eifel Tower. The women are in Montpellier for a week-long training camp, where they will play warm-up chukkas against Australia and Brazil before travelling to Paris.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-24-cents and the euro at 19-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-58-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-769-dollars-26-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-413-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-4-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….