News 16:00

BULLETIN 25 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Joburg Crisis Alliance amplifies calls for mayor Gwamanda’s resignation
# Gauteng’s civil justice system faces a crisis amid a shortage of judges
# And, Olympic Games: Andy Murray withdraws from the tennis singles

# The Joburg Crisis Alliance has called for urgent political consequences following mayor Kabelo Gwamanda’s leadership failures. Civil society groups under the alliance have amplified demands for his resignation, citing worsened service delivery crises. They claim Gwamanda lacks the skills to resolve the city’s deepening issues. Rivonia Circle’s Tessa Dooms urges immediate accountability and new leadership for the metro:

# The Pretoria Attorneys Association warns that Gauteng’s civil justice system faces a crisis due to a shortage of judges and a high volume of cases, causing delays of up to five years. The association’s Nicolette de Witt says civil trials in Pretoria are being allocated for January 2029, while some personal injury plaintiffs may wait six years for trials. She adds that a total of 20 additional judges are needed to reduce the backlog and ensure timely access to justice.

# Cape Town residents are urged to prepare for a wet weekend following a level five weather warning issued by the Weather Service. News24 reports heavy rainfall is expected, prompting the city’s disaster management teams to be on high alert. Residents are advised to clear drainage systems and secure their properties. Eskom has warned of potential vulnerabilities in the power network due to the storms, which could affect restoration efforts. The Western Cape, already dealing with significant storm damage estimated at over one-billion-rand, continues to face recovery challenges. 

# Olympic Games: Andy Murray withdrew from the tennis singles in Paris but the two-time gold medallist will play doubles. The British former world number one, who will retire at the end of his fifth Games, has still not fully recovered from back surgery last month. He believes the men’s doubles, where he is playing with Dan Evans, offers his best chance of another medal. World number one, Italy’s Janik Sinner, has also withdrawn, leaving Novak Djokovic of Serbia as the top seed.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-49-cents and the euro at 20-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-81-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-238-dollars-27-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-370-dollars-37-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-23-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Western Cape Cultural Affairs MEC, Ricardo Mackenzie is confident South Africa’s three Middle Stone Age sites in the province and Kwa-Zulu Natal will gain World Heritage status. The nominations include Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour and Human Rights Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites. He told SABC the listing at the 46th World Heritage Committee will boost tourism:

Stay tuned for more news………….