News 14:00

BULLETIN 31 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# An arrest warrant is issued for an accused in Thabo Bester’s case
# The Police minister reiterates plans to strengthen firearm control regulations
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus believes Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is future Bok captaincy material

# The High Court in Bloemfontein has issued an arrest warrant for accused number four in the Thabo Bester prison escape case. The pre-trial hearing resumed today, following a previous postponement to allow some of the accused to secure new legal representation. Deputy judge president Cagney Musi says the trial is set to begin on 10 February next year and will continue through the end of the term:

# Police minister Senzo Mchunu has reiterated plans to review and tighten firearm control regulations to address the rising use of unlicensed and stolen guns. Mchunu emphasised intensifying efforts to remove illegal firearms and improve gun control. He says his ministry is ready to work with communities to eradicate illegal firearms:

# The African Centre for Migration and Society at Wits University is calling for urgent service delivery reforms in response to South Africa’s population surpassing 63-million. As revealed by Statistics South Africa’s latest report, the population grew by 836-thousand from July last year to this month. Professor Loren Landau stresses the need for practical planning to address challenges in unemployment and poverty. She emphasises the importance of adapting the economy, housing, healthcare, and education to the current population, not the desired one.

# The City of Cape Town’s dam levels have surged to an average of 101-percent after recent rains, compared to 99.6-percent last year. Despite this, the city advises residents to use water sparingly. Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says the directorate continues to invest in the New Water Programme. This includes desalination, groundwater schemes, and re-use projects. Badroodien says these efforts aim to add 300-million-litres of new water daily by 2030, reducing reliance on rainfall and dam storage for future water security.

# Rugby: Rassie Erasmus regards young Springbok back player Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu as a future Bok captain. The national head coach says he grabbed the opportunity to gain international experience during the South African A side’s tour to Britain in 2022, despite the team losing to Munster and Bristol. He says people tend to underestimate SA A tours and just concentrate on the results. Erasmus believes young players must be given the chance to grow and not play every match, which is important for their longevity.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-111-dollars-75-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-421-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….