News 12:00

BULLETIN 29 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The trial against deputy president Paul Mashatile’s VIP unit members resumes
# Cosatu says the new companies’ laws will be powerful weapons in the fight against corporate sector corruption
# And, Olympic Games: Tatjana Smith is not putting any pressure on herself heading into the 100-metres breaststroke final

# The trial of deputy president Paul Mashatile’s eight VIP unit members resumes in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court today. They were caught on camera assaulting a motorist on the N1 near the Winnie Mandela Drive off-ramp in Gauteng last year. The National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, says they face charges including assault, malicious damage to property, defeating the ends of justice, and intimidation:

# Cosatu has welcomed president Cyril Ramaphosa’s assenting to the companies’ laws. The federation’s acting spokesperson, Matthew Parks, says they commend government for these bold pro-worker anti-corruption laws. Parks says the laws will be powerful weapons in the fight against corporate sector corruption and will nudge the private sector and state-owned enterprises towards a more equitable and just wage structure:

# The City of Johannesburg is disputing the Census 2022 data, which shows its population at 4.8 million, 20-percent smaller than previous estimates. Johannesburg’s population has stagnated since 2011 and is only 8.3-percent bigger, while Cape Town’s is 27.6-percent bigger than it was in 2011. The City of Joburg says it won’t use the data for planning purposes and will continue to plan for a population of six million. Statistic South Africa says the Census 2022 results have been declared fit for use and the data will be retained as is.

# 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 finally, the South African National Biodiversity Institute says the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria’s African elephant bull, Charley, is retiring due to his advanced age. Charley is a well-loved resident of the zoo, a place he has called home for 23 years. The institute says during his tenure he not only entertained and educated thousands of visitors, but also contributed to research initiatives that are invaluable to the conservation and management of elephants. Charley will be relocated to the Shambala private game reserve in Limpopo.

Stay tuned for more news………….