News 07:00

BULLETIN 17 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Tinyiko Maluleke and Roelf Meyer are appointed as co-chairs of the eminent persons group
# It is recommended that an ad hoc parliamentary committee investigates Mkhwanazi’s allegations
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus defends the Boks’ unconventional tactics in the second Test against Italy

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has designated National Planning Commission chairperson, professor Tinyiko Maluleke, and former minister, Roelf Meyer, as co-chairs to lead and coordinate the National Dialogue Eminent Persons Group. Deputy chairs are former member of Parliament, Lindiwe Mazibuko, and award-winning rocket scientist Siyabulela Xuza, while student activist Nompendulo Mkhatshwa is the secretary. Ramaphosa says he is grateful to these individuals for agreeing to take on this responsibility and to contribute towards the effective functioning of the Eminent Persons Group.

# Parliament’s Justice and Police committees have recommended the establishment of an ad hoc committee to address the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. He accused Police minister Senzo Mchunu of corruption and political interference in high-profile investigations. The ad hoc committee will be formally adopted next week. Police committee chairperson, Ian Cameron, says there is an urgent need to reach findings on the allegations, to protect the integrity and standing of the entire criminal justice system:

# Eskom says five-gigawatts of repowering projects across six coal sites are underway, with two-gigawatts set for rollout by 2026 via public-private partnerships. Group executive Bheki Nxumalo says these form part of Eskom’s Just Energy Transition strategy to add 20-gigawatts of clean power by 2040. The projects, featuring solar, battery and gas, aim to decarbonise while driving socio-economic growth. Eskom says blended finance and strong governance will be key to unlocking investment.

# The GOOD Party says public land in Johannesburg must serve all residents, not just the privileged few. This follows proposals to lease or sell large portions of public land in Ruimsig and Emmarentia, including the Killarney Country Club, currently leased for as little as one-thousand-rand a year. GOOD’s Matthew Cook says this land should be used for social housing, youth facilities, and inclusive development, not luxury projects or elite clubs:

# US president Donald Trump says it is highly unlikely he will fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. In a meeting with lawmakers on Tuesday, he reportedly polled them about whether he should fire Powell, with the majority of them voting in favour. His second term as Fed chair ends in May next year, but he can stay on as a governor of the central bank until 2028. Trump says Powell is doing a lousy job:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has defended his team’s unconventional tactics in last weekend’s second Test against Italy in Gqeberha, asking who decides what is against the spirit of the game or not. This follows an outcry after centre André Esterhuizen deliberately moved in front of Manie Libbok at kick-off, forcing a scrum on the halfway-line, and employing a niche move later to set up a line-out that led to a try. Erasmus says the game definitely needs innovation which should be praised and not denounced.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-85-cents and the euro at 20-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-91-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-264-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-340-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-13-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….