News 06:00

BULLETIN 24 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament has passed the Appropriation Bill
# The DA rejects Kenny Kunene’s paid holiday
# And aid organisations warn of mass starvation in Gaza

# The National Assembly has approved the 2025-2026 Appropriations Bill, marking a critical stage in the national budget process. The bill is the law that gives the government permission to use public funds for various departments and services. It passed with 262 members of Parliament voting in favour and 90 against, including the EFF and the MK Party. Deputy Finance minister, David Masondo, said if the bill was not passed, it would have resulted in devastating consequences:

# South Africa’s fight against corruption cannot succeed without a strong, independent judiciary. Speaking at the South African Council of Churches Anti-Corruption Conference in Johannesburg, former chief justice Raymond Zondo called for greater judicial independence, institutional control over budgets, and stronger representation of judges on the Judicial Service Commission. He warned that the current structure risks judicial capture and urged constitutional reform to safeguard the integrity and effectiveness of the courts:

# The South African Revenue Service has imposed provisional anti‑dumping duties on top‑loading washing machines after a complaint from Defy Appliances. The International Trade Administration Commission found significant dumping into the Southern African Customs Union market. Duties range from eight-percent to 13-percent on Chinese imports and up to 67.1-percent on Thailand units. SARS says the measures aim to protect the local industry while a full investigation continues.

# The DA calls on Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero to permanently remove mayoral committee member for Transport, Kenny Kunene. The party says Kunene’s links to suspected murderers and his conduct have brought the city’s executive into disrepute. The DA’s Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku insists that only Kunene’s full removal will protect the integrity of the Johannesburg executive, as ethics and criminal investigations continue:

# More than 100 international humanitarian organisations have warned that mass starvation was spreading in Gaza. According to the United Nations, Israeli forces have killed over one-thousand Palestinians trying to get food aid, since the US-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations in late May. The organisations say Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions. Israel says humanitarian aid is being allowed into Gaza and accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian suffering.

# Netball: The Baby Proteas eye a top-three finish at the Under-21 Youth World Cup in Gibraltar, Spain, from 19 to 25 September. The 15-player squad includes captain Phophi Nematangari, Jade Atkins, and Renezia Andrews. With an unbeaten Africa qualifier run and a series win over Jamaica, South Africa faces Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Malawi, and Fiji in Pool D. Nematangari is confident her players will perform:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-50-cents and the euro at 20-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-731-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-389-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-79-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….