News 12:00

BULLETIN 2 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament adopts the terms of reference for an inquiry into financial misconduct at the Road Accident Fund
# Rugby: The Lions’ coach expects a much tougher game against the Reds today
# And South Africa gears up to break the record for the world’s biggest braai

# Parliament’s standing committee on Public Accounts has adopted the terms of reference for a formal inquiry into allegations of financial misconduct and maladministration at the Road Accident Fund. The inquiry will cover RAF operations from 2020 to this year, including issues like procurement, legal costs, and fraud. SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi says the goal is to uncover the truth and make sure public money is used to help road accident victims:

# Airports Company South Africa says passenger volumes remain high at the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng’s central security point. ACSA’s spokesperson, Thea Govindsamy, says queues are moving steadily, and security operations are well-supported, with nine screening machines currently in use. She says the disruption, ascribed to operational issues, is isolated to the airport, and all other airports in the ACSA network are operating as normal:

# The DA in Tshwane says private fire fighting services should be regulated and not removed. DA councillor Alfred Makhafula argues that Tshwane’s emergency services are under pressure due to budget cuts, staff shortages, and ageing infrastructure. He says qualified private responders are a necessary support. Makhafula urges the city to update outdated laws and work with government to create a licensing system that integrates public and private emergency services:

# Rugby: British and Irish Lions’ head coach Andy Farrell expects a much tougher match against the Reds in Brisbane today after they pummelled Western Force 54-7 in Saturday’s first tour match in Perth. Farrell says they have to be adaptable, with nine matches within five weeks, including three Tests against the Wallabies. The Reds are coached by Les Kiss, who takes over at the Wallabies next year. Farrell says they are a great side, and will always be well prepared where Kiss is involved.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-67-cents and the euro at 20-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-22-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-657-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-336-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South Africa is gearing up for the Guinness World Record for the biggest braai. The current title belongs to Uruguay, which grilled 16.5 tonnes of meat in 2017. On Heritage Day on 24 September, Castle Lager and Big Save are firing up plans to play host to the World’s Biggest Braai. To kick things off, Castle unveiled the “Grillboard”, a billboard with a built-in working braai, on Vilakazi Street in Soweto. This has already sparked national excitement for this proudly South African challenge. Brand irector, Thomas Lawrence, says the world’s biggest braai belongs in South Africa.

Stay tuned for more news………….