News 16:00

BULLETIN 6 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Activist and Citizens Forum urges Ramaphosa to stop South Africa from plunging into a dark hole
# The DA condemns the alleged tender corruption at SA Tourism 
# And rugby: Andy Farrell picks the strongest team yet as the British and Irish Lions face the Brumbies

# The Activist and Citizens Forum has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to act urgently to prevent South Africa from descending into a deeper crisis. This follows serious allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, accusing Police minister Senzo Mchunu and deputy national commissioner of Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, of political interference in police operations. The forum’s Dennis Bloem says Mkhwanazi is a credible and senior police official, and his claims should not be ignored:

# The DA says it is deeply alarmed by recent revelations regarding alleged irregularities in the awarding of a 100-million-rand tender by SA Tourism to Pomme Express. The party says this is a company reported to have failed to show proof of experience and alleged to have provided false and misleading information in its bid. The DA’s Haseena Ismail says the party is calling on Toursim minister Patricia de Lille to ensure full transparency and accountability in this matter:

# Police have arrested a fifth suspect in connection with the theft of a transformer worth seven-million-rand from the Laudium substation in Tshwane. Spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi says among the five apprehended are three municipal workers. Nevhuhulwi says they will continue to work diligently to dismantle syndicates that target essential infrastructure and related crimes.

# Rugby: Coach Andy Farrell insists he remains open-minded about his squad for the first British and Irish Lions Test against the Wallabies after naming his strongest team yet to face the Brumbies. Maro Itoje is restored as captain while Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park return as the half-back combination. The front row boasts England loosehead Ellis Genge and Ireland pair Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong at hooker and tighthead. The Brumbies were the only provincial team to beat the Lions on their last tour to Australia in 2013.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-74-cents and the euro at 20-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-430-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-306-dollars-11-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-35-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The United Kingdom is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 7 July bombings that killed 52 people. King Charles paid tribute to the spirit of unity shown after the atrocity. To mark the moment the first bomb went off, prime minister Keir Starmer and London mayor Sadiq Khan laid wreaths at the 7 July memorial in the capital’s Hyde Park. On 7 July 2005, four homegrown Islamist extremists detonated suicide bombs on three underground trains and a bus across central London, injuring hundreds of people.

Stay tuned for more news………….