News 09:00

BULLETIN 16 July 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Business Leadership South Africa is encouraged by the government of national unity
# Eskom is granted a 20-year extension for Koeberg Unit 1
# And, minister Lamola will meet his British counterpart in London today

# Business Leadership South Africa says the positive sentiment sparked by the government of national unity is encouraging. In her latest weekly newsletter, CEO Busisiwe Mavuso, says there are some good indicators of how corruption could be targeted, with the new minister of Public Works revealing that the department has suffered cyber-related theft of over 300-million-rand. She says the progress made on the VBS bank looting is also encouraging. Mavuso says consolidation of the government of national unity and the formation of a coherent agenda for reform is critical.

# The National Nuclear Regulator has extended Eskom’s license to operate Unit One of the Koeberg nuclear power station for an additional 20 years. This decision follows extensive public consultations and technical reviews. The unit, generating 920 megawatts, will now operate until July 2044. The NNR will deliberate on the extension for Unit Two at a later date. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, has assured the public of Koeberg’s safety and compliance with international standards:

# Police have arrested 14 people in connection with the kidnapping of a Zimbabwean businessman, including three Chinese and two Mozambican nationals in Gauteng. It is alleged that the suspects allegedly kidnapped the man near his place of employment on Sunday. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says a multidisciplinary team located the businessman in Diepkloof, Soweto, and the kidnappers were traced to an apartment in Greenstone Park and in Sandton:

# International Relations minister, Ronald Lamola, will meet with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London today. This marks Lamola’s first international engagement since his appointment in the new portfolio. Lamola says during the visit they will discuss global issues and strengthen bilateral economic trade. He told the SABC he will also address the British community to celebrate South Africa’s 30 years of democracy:

# Swimming: World Aquatics says the International Testing Agency has committed to testing Chinese athletes eight times, twice as much as is standard, ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris. Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine, which can enhance performance, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but were still allowed to compete. Eleven of the 23 swimmers will compete in Paris. World Aquatics says trust in the anti-doping system has been weakened by the handling of this situation.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-62-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-623-dollars-98-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-426-dollars-82-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….