News 11:00

BULLETIN 20 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Soil of Africa calls on government to act on mass killings in communities
# Fikile Mbalula says Zuma’s MK Party is making unrealistic demands
# And, the Freedom Front Plus calls on minister Meth to address the ongoing crisis of maternity leave claims

# The Soil of Africa civic movement is calling on government and the Ministry of Police the deployment of tactical and intelligence-driven operations in areas identified as mass killing hotspots in the country. Five people were killed and three wounded, in an attack on a tavern in the Shoba Informal Settlement on Friday. The movement’s chairperson, Bongani Ramontja, says they demand a national crackdown on illegal firearms and ammunition:

# The ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, says the MK Party of Jacob Zuma is making unrealistic demands because they know they are facing serious challenges and they hope to gain something out of the process. The MK Party marched to the Union Building in Pretoria on Friday demanding the resignation of president Cyril Ramaphosa and the prosecution of Police minister Senzo Mchunu. Mbalula says law enforcement agencies were ready for their action:

# The Freedom Front Plus is calling on the minister of Employment and Labour, Nomakhosazana Meth to urgently address the ongoing crisis of  all maternity leave claims in South Africa. The party’s Heloïse Denner says the party regularly receives enquiries from all over the country from women who, in some cases, have been struggling for years to get their maternity leave claims paid out:

# A court has ordered Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro to wear an ankle tag and put him under curfew over fears he might abscond while standing trial. Bolsonaro is accused of plotting a coup to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023. US President Donald Trump has been attempting to quash the case against his ally, by threatening steep tariffs on Brazilian goods. The ex-president will be placed under 24-hour surveillance and have to comply with a nighttime curfew. If found guilty, the 70-year-old Bolsonaro could face decades behind bars.

# Boxing:  Oleksandr Usyk further cemented his place as one of boxing’s greats by stopping Daniel Dubois in round five to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian put on a masterclass in front of 90-thousand fans at Wembley Stadium to dash Dubois’ dreams of being the first Briton to unify the division in the four-belt era. The 38-year-old Usyk put Dubois down twice in the fifth and the Londoner was unable to return to beat the count the second time round. He also stopped Dubois in 2023 and extended his perfect record as a professional to 24 victories.

# And rugby: The British and Irish Lions took a 1-0 lead in the three-test series with a largely dominant 27-19 win in front of more than 52-thousand fans at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The Lions were superior in all facets of the game running in three tries in the first 41 minutes and holding off a late Wallabies fightback for a comfortable victory. Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Curry and Dan Sheehan scored the visitors’ tries, while Finn Russell added nine points with the boot. The second test is at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next weekend.

Stay tuned for more news………….