News 14:00

BULLETIN 24 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Hawks storm Prasa’s headquarters in the 18-billion-rand tender scandal
# FlySafair’s flights are gradually back on schedule amid the pilot strike disruptions
# And rugby: Skelton, Valetini and Porecki return for the Wallabies to start against the Lions

# The Hawks have seized laptops, phones, and documents from top Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa executives as part of an investigation into two train signalling tenders worth 18-billion-rand. According to News24, the raid at Prasa’s Braamfontein headquarters in Johannesburg targeted the CEO, chief financial official, head of legal, and chief procurement official. The contracts are under scrutiny over alleged irregularities, including being awarded to companies that failed to meet key compliance requirements. Transport minister Barbara Creecy is reviewing a report on the matter.

# Airports Company South Africa says it has taken decisive steps following a security breach at OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng, where a passenger boarded a flight with two training hand grenades. The devices were only detected on arrival at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The company blames a third-party company, Aviation Coordination Services, for the security failure and has ended its services. ACSA spokesperson Adele Nkomo says airport security has been tightened:

Meanwhile, FlySafair says over 90-percent of scheduled departures are operating normally after a strike by pilots since Monday caused major disruptions. At least 26 flights were cancelled after pilots issued last-minute no-show notices. Chief marketing officer, Kirby Gordon, says negotiations with union Solidarity, guided by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, will resume tomorrow. He emphasised that the airline regrets the disruption:

# The Freedom Front Plus in Tshwane is calling for the metro to declare Centurion a disaster area as a result of sinkholes. There are currently 64 sinkholes in the area, with the latest forming in Lyttelton on Sunday. The sinkholes, located mainly on dolomitic soil, are primarily caused by water and sewage leaks. The FF Plus says during yesterday’s council meeting a petition with three-thousand-500 signatures was submitted, demanding the disaster declaration, and to secure funding from the national and Gauteng governments’ disaster funds.

# Rugby: The Wallabies welcome back heavy hitters Will Skelton, Rob Valetini and Dave Porecki for Saturday’s second Test against the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne. Australia is looking to bounce back from last week’s 24-19 defeat. Skelton replaces Jeremy Williams, who drops to the bench, while Valetini comes in for Nick Champion de Crespigny, who drops out of the squad. Porecki returns from concussion to start in place of Matt Faessler. Coach Joe Schmidt says confidence is key:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-59-cents and the euro at 20-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-227-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-363-dollars-24-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….