News 06:00

BULLETIN 29 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC will reportedly expel Jacob Zuma this week
# ActionSA expresses its concern over South Africa’s intelligence failures
# And Olympics: A mixed bag of results for Team SA

# Former president Jacob Zuma will reportedly be expelled from the ANC this week. According to a leaked draft of the National Disciplinary Committee findings, Zuma was found guilty of breaching the party’s constitution and was recommended to be expelled. He was charged with misconduct after publicly stating in December last year that he would campaign and vote for the MK Party in the May elections. Zuma has 21 days to appeal to the National Disciplinary Committee of Appeal. There has been no official confirmation from the ANC.

# ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba is deeply concerned over domestic intelligence failures in South Africa, again exposed by the arrest of 95 Libyan military trainees in Mpumalanga. Mashaba wants the recommendations of the high-level report into the State Security Agency implemented. He also calls for an intelligence inspectorate and the limiting of political interference. He says this is essential to protect South Africans and fight the proliferation of criminal syndicates:

# The DA in Gauteng says it has written to the Public Protector to request an urgent investigation into the suspicious appointment of Arnold Lesiba Malotana as the head of the provincial Department of Health. The DA’s Jack Bloom says during a meeting of the provincial legislature’s health committee, Health, and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko announced that Malotana was no longer the acting head of the department, having been made permanent two months ago:

# The Eastern Cape MEC for Education, Fundile Gade, has strongly condemned any acts of learner misconduct, including bullying. The department’s spokesperson, Malibongwe Mtimka, says on Friday, a Grade 10 learner died after being stabbed in the neck by a Grade 9 schoolmate outside the Rocklands Intermediate School in Kariega. This followed a quarrel while walking to their learner transport. The MEC will visit the bereaved family today: 

# The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has deployed a team of more than 200 firefighters and management, to assist with firefighting and fire suppression efforts of the wildfires in Alberta province, Canada. Fires have ravaged parts of Alberta, including nearly half of the historic town of Jasper, and its surrounding national park. This is the sixth deployment by a Working on Fire team to Canada since 2015. Minister Dion George says this deployment would not hamper local firefighting operations as there are still over five-thousand firefighters available.

# Olympic Games: It was a tough day for the South African women’s rugby and hockey teams in Paris. The Rugby Sevens team opened their campaign with a 34-5 defeat to Australia followed by a 38-nil thrashing by Ireland. The women’s hockey team was narrowly defeated two-one by Australia. In rowing, South Africa’s Christopher Baxter and John Smith finished second in their heat to qualify for the semifinals. Meanwhile, gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz was forced to withdraw from the all-around competition, after suffering a foot injury during the floor exercise.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-52-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-197-dollars-83-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-398-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….