News 08:00

BULLETIN 24 July 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Opposition parties are concerned by the lack of parliamentary oversight of the Presidency
# At least 229 people are killed in Ethiopia landslides
# And golf: The South African Olympic duo commit to the Nedbank Challenge

# Opposition parties have questioned the lack of parliamentary oversight of the Presidency. No parliamentary oversight committee exists for the Presidency, which includes Intelligence, the National Security Council, the National Energy Crisis Committee and the structural reform unit Operation Vulindlela. MK party’s parliamentary leader, John Hlophe, says the government of national unity gives the president the power to act unilaterally when it comes to state-owned entities by-passing Parliament:

# The EFF leader Julius Malema has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to bring the ministry of Police and the Department of Water and Sanitation into the Presidency’s office. The president tabled his office’s 612-million-rand budget before the National Assembly yesterday. Responding to the budget, Malema said South Africa does not have an intelligence problem but a water and crime crisis:

# Three wanted suspects have been killed following a shoot-out with police in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal yesterday evening. A fourth suspect fled the scene. The suspects were wanted for a string of murders, including the murder of a police sergeant last year. This incident comes less than a week after four other suspects were killed in a shoot-out with police in Sydenham, Durban. Provincial Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, says a manhunt is underway for the fourth suspect:

# Authorities in Ethiopia are searching vigorously for survivors following two landslides on Sunday and Monday. So far 229 people have died including children, with authorities saying the death toll is likely to increase. Heavy rains triggered the first landslide in a remote mountainous area of the Gofa zone, and the second buried people who had gathered to help. Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed says the Federal Disaster Prevention Task Force has been deployed to the area and is working to reduce the impact of the disaster.

# Golf: Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Erik van Rooyen, who will represent South Africa at the Olympic Games in Paris, have both committed to the Nedbank Golf Challenge, being played at the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City in North West in November. This will be both players’ third appearance in the tournament, dubbed Africa’s Major, which hasn’t produced a local champion since 2017 when Branden Grace won the event. The 66 players in this year’s challenge will share total prize money of 110-million-rand.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-990-dollars-6-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-417-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….