News 06:00

BULLETIN 2 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Paul Mashatile says the government of national unity will back all budgets despite the DA’s threats
# The police are flooded with over 67-thousand job applications
# And rugby: Siya will not lead the Boks against the Italians at Loftus

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says the Government of National Unity will continue and support all national budgets. Speaking in the Free State, Mashatile dismissed DA threats, saying budgets serve the people, not individual ministers. Mashatile stressed that the ANC will vote for every budget to ensure service delivery and grow the economy. He added that the ANC is ready to defeat any motion of no confidence against president Cyril Ramaphosa:

# Airports Company South Africa says it expects O.R. Tambo International Airport in Gauteng to return to full operational capacity by today. This follows yesterday’s disruptions that caused travel delays. Domestic operations have mostly stabilised, and extra staff have been deployed to assist international passengers. Travellers are still advised to arrive early to allow enough time for processing. The company confirms all other airports are operating normally.

# The South African Police Service has received more than 67-thousand applications for its basic police learning development programme. The high volume of traffic has caused delays on the SAPS recruitment website, and technology teams are working to stabilise the system. Police spokesperson Amanda Van Wyk reminded applicants that the closing date is 18 July:

# The Randburg Magistrate’s Court has postponed the bail application of 12 South African National Defence Force members to tomorrow to allow for the verification of their addresses. They face serious charges, including murder, kidnapping, fraud, and obstruction of justice. National Prosecuting Authority’s Phindi Mjonondwane says the SANDF members are accused of abducting two Ethiopian nationals in 2022 and are also linked to the fatal shooting of Hawks officer Frans Mathipa, who was investigating the case.

# Elon Musk’s new attack on what he calls Donald Trump’s insane spending bill that the US Senate has now passed appears to have hit the share price of Tesla. Musk’s latest outburst and Trump’s reaction to it reignited the tit-for-tat insults between the former close allies.  Trump earlier said he will “take a look” at whether to deport the Tesla founder and has threatened to cut subsidies for the billionaire’s space and satellite businesses. The renewed row has not gone unnoticed by investors, with Tesla’s share value tumbling more than five-percent.

# Rugby: Springbok midfielder Jesse Kriel will lead the side into battle and officially become the 67th captain for their first test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Kriel is in because regular captain Siya Kolisi had a stiff Achilles, and it was decided as a precaution to keep him out of the game. Coach Rassie Erasmus said Kriel would stay on the field for the full 80 minutes, and that swayed the decision to give him the captaincy ahead of Eben Etzebeth, who has captained the side before. The match kicks off on Saturday at 5:10 pm.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-59-cents and the euro at 20-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-619-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-336-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-94-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….