News17:00

BULLETIN 25 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Hawks raid City Power’s offices over alleged R500-million tender fraud
# Soccer: Banyana aims for bronze in the clash against Ghana in honour of Salgado
# And SANParks warns the public of a rabies outbreak among seals

# The Hawks have launched a high-profile raid at City Power’s Johannesburg headquarters as part of a 500-million-rand corruption investigation. According to News24, the utility’s CEO, Tshifularo Mashava, is the primary target of the probe which focuses on inflated tenders and payments for work not completed. Investigators seized IT equipment and documents. The raid follows ongoing reports of financial mismanagement at City Power, which recorded a three-billion-rand loss in the last financial year and a negative bank balance of over 16-billion-rand.

City Power will meanwhile continue to eradicate illegal connections as the power utility lost 2.5-billion-rand in 2024 due to illegal connections. Spokesperson Isaac Mangena says suspended services to parts of Tsepisong is due to widespread illegal electricity connections. Officials say the community bypassed meters, vandalised infrastructure, and threatened technicians. Mangena urged residents to apply for the free basic electricity programme to avoid disconnections:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent support and creative funding for key infrastructure projects in the Northern Cape, including the Kimberley Big Hole precinct and the Boegoebaai harbour. Ramaphosa says these developments are critical to unlocking economic growth and attracting investment. He also calls for a review of current delivery models to speed up approvals and implementation, citing better planning across government is key to successful project rollout:

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis remains confident her side can secure third place by beating Ghana in tonight’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations play-off match. Ellis says the team is determined to win bronze in honour of injured Gabriela Salgado and give a fitting send-off to Jermaine Seoposenwe. Banyana previously beat Ghana 2-0 in the group stage and hopes to repeat that result. Ellis acknowledges the mental challenge but believes in her players’ resilience:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-77-cents and the euro at 20-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 116-thousand-118-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-341-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

# And finally, SANParks has issued a warning urging the public to avoid physical contact with seals, dead or alive, due to a rabies outbreak along the coastal shores of the Western and Northern Cape. According to SANParks, rabies is now considered endemic in Cape fur seals in the Western Cape, which is a first for marine mammals. The virus spreads through bites, scratches, or saliva contact. SANParks advises immediate medical attention if bitten and urges reporting of any unusual seal behaviour along coastal areas.

Stay tuned for more news………….