News 06:00

BULLETIN 30 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Tatjana Smith secures South Africa’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games
# The network systems at the Cape Town International Airport are expected to be fully operational today
# And, six MPs want to replace Sunak as the new Conservative Party leader

# We start with news from the Olympic Games: Swimming star Tatjana Smith has won South Africa’s first gold medal in Paris. She claimed victory in the women’s 100 metres breaststroke followed by China’s QT Tang, who won silver, and Ireland’s Mona McSharry who took the bronze. Meanwhile, Alan Hatherly claimed the bronze medal in the men’s mountain biking, becoming the first South African to win a medal in the sport since returning from international isolation at the 1992 Games. Smith says she swam for everyone who believed in her:

# The suspension of former ANC Mpumalanga treasurer Mandla Msibi remains in effect. The party’s national disciplinary committee upheld his suspension for attempting to sabotage the ANC’s January 8 celebrations by organising a protest. Despite calls for a harsher sentence, the committee maintained the three-year suspension, dismissing Msibi’s appeal. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says Msibi remains a party member, with an opportunity for reconciliation:

# Electricity and Energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has confirmed continued collaboration with SALGA and municipalities to develop a robust electricity pricing plan. Ramokgopa has assured South Africans of his commitment to finding a solution to the rising cost of electricity. He emphasised the importance of working with Nersa to protect consumers, including the poor and marginalised, while maintaining affordability and competitiveness:

# The Gauteng Education Department will today release the investigative report into the drowning of two pupils from the Daveyton Skills School in Benoni. Fifteen-year-old Siphamandla Peterson and 17-year-old Sibusiso Sibiya drowned while on a school camp at the Hennops River in Centurion in April. Soon after the incident, Education MEC Matome Chiloane said preliminary findings revealed that the trip was not sanctioned and no teacher accompanied the pupils on the excursion.

# Airports Company South Africa says all operating network systems at the Cape Town International Airport are expected to return to normal today. This comes after the airport was hit by a power outage on Sunday night, which impacted runway lights, airside fire rescue, and air traffic navigation services. Flights were delayed while some had to be diverted to nearby airports. ACSA says power restoration has allowed for safe aircraft landings and departures.

 # Six candidates have thrown their names in the hat to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of Britain’s Conservative Party. They are Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat. Sunak resigned after Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won the general election by a landslide, ending the Tories’ rule after 14 years. Nominations closed yesterday, with the list being narrowed down to four and then to two, from which MPs will choose their new leader to be announced on the second of November.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-898-dollars-22-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-381-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….