News 11:00

BULLETIN 29 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says government is fixing procurement
# ACSA is restoring the power network at Cape Town International Airport
# And Olympic Games: Tatjana Smith is not putting any pressure on herself before tonight’s final

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says through the Public Procurement Act, government is now fixing the problems identified in the state capture commission’s report. In the report, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo described corruption in procurement as the centrepiece of state capture. In his weekly newsletter, the president says the act makes the procurement system far more transparent, fair, equitable, and competitive. Ramaphosa says public procurement is about getting the best value for the state and ensuring public funds are used for what they are intended for.

# The ATM says the discovery of an alleged illegal military training camp in White River, Mpumalanga, is just one example of the various illicit activities taking place in South Africa. National spokesperson Zama Ntshona says recent reports have already raised concerns about the country’s possible involvement in financing terrorist groups. He adds some individuals and groups operating spaza shops are said to be supporters of these groups on a global scale:

# Airports Company South Africa says it has managed to return runway lights and air traffic navigation services following a power outage at Cape Town International Airport yesterday evening. Flights could not land or depart, while others were diverted to other airports while technicians worked to restore power. Acsa’s Ernest Mulibana says the restoration of power in the early hours of this morning has allowed eleven aircraft to land:

# Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, has been re-elected as president despite alleged voting irregularities. The National Electoral Council says with 80-percent of the votes counted, Maduro won more than 51-percent of the vote, compared to his main rival Edmundo González Urrutia, who gained more than 44-percent. Opinion polls had given González a wide lead over Maduro. US secretary of State Antony Blinken says America is concerned that the declared outcome does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.

# Olympic Games: South African swimming star Tatjana Smith says she is proud of her performance in the 100-metre breaststroke in Paris. The 27-year-old powered her way into the final as the fastest qualifier. Meanwhile, Pieter Coetzé set a new African record on his way to joint second-place finish in the men’s 100-metre backstroke semifinal, reaching the wall in 52.63 seconds, to make the final. Smith, Tokyo gold and silver medallist, says she is not putting any pressure on herself:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-25-cents and the euro at 19-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-48-cents and Bitcoin trades at 69-thousand-573-dollars-78-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-391-dollars-44-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….