News 07:00

BULLETIN 29 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The office of the Chief Justice says Mandisa Maya does not have a close relationship with Zuma
# Antony Blinken blames Hezbollah for a deadly strike on the Golan Heights
# And Olympic Games: Tatjana Smith and Pieter Coetzé impress in the pool

# The Office of the Chief Justice says reports suggesting that Chief Justice Designate, Mandisa Maya, has a deep personal and professional relationship with former president Jacob Zuma are unfounded and false. An article published by the disputable Opera News states that Maya had described Zuma as a brother to her and a father to her children. Last week Thursday, president Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Maya as the new Chief Justice from the first of September. The OCJ says Maya has never met or had any contact with Zuma.

# Cosatu says a renewed AGOA needs to include provisions to support compliance with fair labour practices and penalise employers who flout labour laws. Cosatu’s Matthew Parks says AGOA has increased investments by US companies, supporting 450-thousand direct, value chain, and indirect South African jobs. He adds the country’s mining, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors benefit from the large volumes of exports to the US:

# The City of Cape Town says Transnet must expedite private sector involvement in the port operations, and the development and maintenance of a liquid bulk terminal at the Port of Cape Town. Mayoral committee member for Economic Growth, James Vos, says the port’s performance impacts a diverse range of critical products, from agricultural goods to high-value exports like wine and seafood:

# The ANC is calling on residents of Kanana extension 13 in North West to assist police with any information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects that shot and killed eight people at a tavern over the weekend. The ANC’s acting spokesperson, Zuko Godlimpi, says the actions of the suspects, who not only took lives but also robbed the establishment and patrons, are reprehensible and must be met with swift justice. The party remains committed to working with law enforcement to ensure communities are safe and that such senseless violence is eradicated.

# US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, says there is every indication that a rocket that hit a soccer pitch in Golan Heights was fired by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The attack killed 12 people including children. Hezbollah has denied it was behind the strike, the deadliest to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since the 7 October attacks by Hamas. Blinken says America’s support for Israel’s security is unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah:

# Olympic Games: South Africa’s swimming star Tatjana Smith is through to the women’s 100-metre breaststroke final in Paris. The 27-year-old posted the fastest time across both semifinal heats of one minute 05.00 seconds, which is only 0.18 seconds off her Olympic record set in Tokyo. Pieter Coetzé finished tied for second in the men’s 100-metre backstroke semifinal and is through to the final. His time of 52.63 seconds is a new African record. Aimee Canny finished sixth in the women’s 200-metre freestyle, missing out on a spot in the final.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-27-cents and the euro at 19-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-54-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-617-dollars-23-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-392-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….