News 17:00

BULLETIN 7 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Institute of Taxation urges citizens to engage in SARS’ auto-assessments
# ActionSA finalises its strategic plan for next year’s local government elections
# And Kenyan police block roads in Nairobi as the country commemorates the uprising of July 1990

# The South African Institute of Taxation has urged taxpayers to participate in the Revenue Services’ auto-assessment process, which runs from today to the 20th. Acting CEO Keitumetse Sesana explained to Newzroom Afrika that citizens receiving SMS or email notifications can view their assessments via SARS’ online query system. She emphasises that disputes can be raised through official channels before approaching the ombud or legal routes:

# ActionSA has pledged to make basic service delivery its top priority in next year’s local government elections, citing the collapse of infrastructure in many municipalities. The party wrapped up its strategic planning session and says South Africans are demanding reliable services above politics. It plans to tackle failures in electricity, water, sanitation, and roads. ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont criticises the government of national unity, warning of instability and a possible budget collapse:

# The DA says Gauteng is facing a growing crisis of gang violence and illegal firearms, particularly in coloured communities. The party says more than 15 gang-related attacks have been recorded in areas like Westbury, Eldorado Park, Orange Farm and Johannesburg South since September last year. The DA’s Michael Sun accuses premier Panyaza Lesufi of failing to respond effectively, despite spending millions on unused CCTV cameras and drones:

# Kenyan police blocked roads and heavily deployed in the deserted streets of the usually bustling capital of Nairobi today to prevent gatherings to mark annual pro-democracy rallies. AFP reports running battles with anti-riot police who fired teargas at a group of young men, with some of the crowd throwing rocks at officials. Many people appeared to be staying home rather than attend marches to commemorate 7 July 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel Arap Moi.

# Cricket: Sanjog Gupta from India has been appointed as the seventh CEO of the International Cricket Council, taking over from Australian Geoff Allardice who stepped down in January. In March, the ICC embarked on a global recruitment process to find the perfect candidate, receiving over two-thousand-500 applications from candidates across 25 countries. Gupta says it’s a privilege to have this opportunity, especially at a time when cricket is poised for unprecedented growth, including its inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-75-cents and the euro at 20-rand-83-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-277-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-309-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-68-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….