News 07:00

BULLETIN 25 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum says the Department of Water and Sanitation’s plan does not offer real solutions
# Transnet is granted a loan of 18.85-billion-rand
# And Olympic Games: Jannik Sinner withdraws with tonsillitis

# AfriForum says the Department of Water and Sanitation’s water security and sanitation service delivery plans will be futile if concrete plans for renovating municipal distribution networks are not included. Currently, the department has 14 major national water resource infrastructure projects valued at more than 100-billion-rand, which are in different stages of implementation around the country. AfriForum’s, Marais de Vaal, says the department’s current plan does not offer solutions for the water supply crisis:

# The African Development Bank says Transnet has made progress in some key areas, including reforms in governance procurement and financial management. The bank has approved an 18.85-billion-rand corporate loan to Transnet for its recovery and growth plans. The 25-year-old loan is fully guaranteed by the government. The state-owned entity has faced operational challenges mainly in the rail and port businesses, theft and vandalism, and external shocks such as floods and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Transnet says it is committed to restoring operational performance across all its sectors.

# The Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement comes into force today. It integrates the East African Community, SADC, and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa into a single market. This follows the deposit of Instruments of Ratification by at least 14 out of 29 member states, including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, and South Africa. The agreement aims to accelerate economic integration, achieve sustainable development, and alleviate poverty, contributing to the broader objectives of the African Union.

# The City of Tshwane warns residents about potential bribery scams involving individuals posing as revenue collectors. The municipality has received reports of individuals, posing as city employees, using marked vehicles and valid documentation to demand money in exchange for not disconnecting services. Customers are advised to only make payments through official municipal channels. The city’s Lindela Mashigo warns that those caught extorting money will face legal consequences: 

# The DA in eThekwini is calling on City Manager, Musa Mbhele, to deploy law enforcement officials to Durban Solid Waste depots across the municipality. This follows a strike by Expanded Public Works Programme workers. The workers are demanding to be insourced by the municipality after they were allegedly told their contracts would no longer be renewed at the end of this month. The DA’s, Thabani Mthethwa, says service delivery has been severely affected:

# Olympic Games: Tennis world number one Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Paris Games due to tonsillitis. The Italian began experiencing symptoms on Monday evening following a practice week in Monaco. After consulting with his team of doctors he was strongly advised to withdraw. Sinner, who won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, says missing the Games is a huge disappointment as it was one of his main goals this season.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-37-cents and the euro at 19-rand-92-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-69-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-244-dollars-21-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-378-dollars-18-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….