News 06:00

BULLETIN 22 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Jo Biden drops out of the presidential race
# AfriForum takes legal action to remove John Hlophe from the Judicial Service Commission
# And, Egoli leads the tributes following the passing of the South African actress Esta TerBlanche

# US president Joe Biden has decided not to seek re-election, saying this is in the best interest of his party and the country. In the past weeks, a growing chorus of Democrats and party donors have called for him to leave the race, as questions mounted about his ability to beat Donald Trump and serve a second term. Biden says he will now focus solely on fulfilling his duties as president for the remainder of his term. He has endorsed vice president Kamala Harris to be the party’s nominee.

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Pension Funds Amendment Bill, enabling the two-pot retirement system to bolster retirement savings. The new law, effective from 1 September 2024, allows members to withdraw from a savings component without resigning. This reform splits contributions into savings and retirement components, with withdrawals taxed at marginal rates, ensuring preserved retirement funds until retirement.

# AfriForum has initiated legal proceedings to challenge the National Assembly’s appointment of former impeached judge-president John Hlophe to the Judicial Services Commission. The civil rights organisation argues Hlophe’s appointment is irrational and unlawful given his previous misconduct. AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel says the Constitutional Court is being petitioned to address this matter as it has exclusive jurisdiction over the case:

# ActionSA’s Senate held a two-day session to address calls from Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni councillors about the party’s coalition relationships and its role in stabilising governance. Spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi says the party is committed to not partnering with the ANC, however, emphasised the party’s intent to ensure effective service delivery:

# Golf: American Xander Schauffele secured a second Major of the season, winning The Open by two shots at Royal Troon in Scotland. He is the first player to win The Open and US PGA Championship in the same year since Rory McIlroy in 2014. England’s Justin Rose and American Billy Horschel finished two shots back tied in second place. South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence was one ahead with seven to play but finished three strokes back in fourth. Schauffele says winning his second Major is special:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-19-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-996-dollars-15-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-411-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

# And on a sad note: The South African drama Egoli: Place of Gold has led tributes to actress Esta TerBlanche, who was found dead in her Los Angeles home last week. The 51-year-old starred as Bienkie Naudé in Egoli and moved to the US in the 1990s. Two years later, TerBlanche landed the role of Gillian Andrassy in the American sitcom All My Children. She also won Miss Teen South Africa in 1991. Her publicist Lisa Rodrigo described her as a beautiful soul. Former Egoli executive producer Burgert Muller says TerBlanche was the epitome of professionalism.

Stay tuned for more news………….