News 17:00

BULLETIN 28 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Thabo Mbeki and Brigitte Mabandla seek to intervene in an apartheid constitutional damages case
# Emma Powell steps down from the DA’s international relations role in Parliament
# And rugby: Phil Waugh is angry over the controversial try that sealed the series for the Lions

# Former president Thabo Mbeki and ex-Justice minister Brigitte Mabandla have approached the High Court in Pretoria to intervene in a landmark 167-million-rand constitutional damages case. The lawsuit, brought by 25 survivors and families of apartheid-era victims, challenges the state’s failure to prosecute cases referred by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Representing them, senior advocate Ngwako Maenetje argues Mbeki and Mabandla did not interfere with, or suppress prosecutions, denying any political interference:

# The DA has appointed Ryan Smith as its new Parliamentary spokesperson on international relations. This follows the resignation of Emma Powell from the role. Powell will remain a member of the parliamentary caucus, with a new portfolio to be announced soon. She says she was intimidated, threatened and illegally surveilled after she visited the US and was accused of spreading misinformation about South Africa. Powell wrote on X that as a woman in politics, she understands viscerally the cost of standing up to bullies and the pressures that come with public life.

# Business Leadership South Africa welcomes Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa’s plans to address municipal failures that cost the economy billions. The organisation praised Hlabisa’s collaborative approach and commitment to working with major metros, such as Johannesburg, eThekwini and Nelson Mandela Bay, to improve service delivery. They support enhanced municipal leadership and ongoing government-business collaboration to deliver better services.

# The DA in Limpopo says using 93-million-rand, meant for new buses, to cover debts at the failing Great North Transport bus company will not solve its problems. The party is demanding a full and transparent investigation into the collapse of the company, which once operated over 500 buses but now has only 23 in operation. The DA’s Jacques Smalle blames ongoing corruption and ANC misgovernance for the decline:

# Rugby: The CEO of Rugby Australia, Phil Waugh, demands an explanation from World Rugby over the controversial try in the second Test in Melbourne that clinched the series for the British and Irish Lions. The Wallabies were leading 26-24 in the dying moments when Lions fullback Hugo Keenan scored to seal a 29-26 victory. Replays suggested foul play from Lions flanker Jac Morgan in the lead-up to the try, but Italian referee Andrea Piardi found nothing wrong. Waugh says the try shouldn’t have been awarded.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-84-cents and the euro at 20-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-541-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-328-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-20-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….