News 09:00

BULLETIN 23 July 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA wants Eskom to account for a billion rand Koeberg bungle
# SAFTU demands a total overhaul of SETA
# And Donald Trump says the US has reached a ‘massive’ trade agreement with Japan

# The DA is demanding that the Eskom board and executives appear before Parliament to account for the one-billion-rand court-ordered payment to the French nuclear company, Framatome. The court ruled that Eskom was at fault for ordering work to stop on the replacement of three steam generators at the Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Town. The DA’s Kevin Mileham says this disaster is part of a wider pattern of financial mismanagement at Eskom:

# The South African Federation of Trade Unions is demanding a total overhaul of the governance of the Sector Education and Training Authorities, and a reversal of the trend toward centralisation and political capture. This follows the removal of Nobuhle Nkabane as minister of Higher Education and Training, over her controversial appointments to the boards of SETAs. Saftu’s spokesperson, Asive Dyani, says SETAs must be returned to their rightful purpose, building a skilled, employed, and empowered working class:

# KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has urged municipalities to strengthen existing measures aimed at safeguarding the well-being and safety of their employees. Msinga Municipality’s fire chief, Khalesakhe Mchunu, was shot dead in his vehicle on Monday. KwaDukuza local municipality official, Nokulunga Happiness Mashabane, was gunned down last month. MEC Buthelezi says these attacks on public servants, who are dedicated to serving communities, are unacceptable and undermine the very fabric of local governance.

# US president Donald Trump says America has reached a trade deal with Japan, describing it as the largest deal ever made. Japanese imports will face a 15-percent tariff, an improvement on the 25-percent tariff the president threatened to impose from 1st August earlier this month. On a post on Truth Social, Trump says Japan will also open its market to US products, including cars, trucks, rice, and certain agricultural products. Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba says they will examine the details of the deal carefully.

# Soccer: Defending champions England are through to the Women’s European Championship final after beating Italy 2-1 in Switzerland. Italy took the lead through Barbara Bonansea, but a late goal from Michelle Agyemang sent the tie to extra time. Substitute Chloe Kelly scored the decisive goal in the 119th minute, to send the Lionesses to their third successive major final. England will face either Spain or Germany in Sunday’s final. Kelly says reaching another final is unbelievable:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-54-cents and the euro at 20-rand-58-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-879-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-423-dollars-75-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-11-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….