News 06:00

BULLETIN 10 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA will today lay criminal charges against minister Mchunu
# Rise Mzansi says a parliamentary probe into the police allegations is not enough
# And Texas officials are facing criticism over their handling of the floods

# The DA will today lay criminal charges against Police minister Senzo Mchunu at the Cape Town Central police station. This follows explosive claims by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who accused Mchunu of interfering in high-profile investigations and dissolving a task team probing political killings. Mkhwanazi also linked the minister to controversial businessman Vusumuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala, who was arrested for attempted murder in May. The party says Mchunu’s actions amount to obstruction of justice and abuse of power.

Meanwhile, Rise Mzansi says Parliament’s probe into allegations of political interference is not enough, urging president Cyril Ramaphosa must urgently intervene. The party calls for a commission of inquiry led by a retired judge to thoroughly investigate the claims made by Mkhwanazi. Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana says Ramaphosa must act now as the police crisis endangers South African safety:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Public Service and Administration has welcomed the decision by Finance minister Enoch Godongwana to institute three critical spending reviews. The reviews will focus on standardising the remuneration of executives and board members of public entities, auditing and eliminating ghost workers, and investigating underspending of infrastructure conditional grants at the provincial and municipal levels. Committee chairperson Jan de Villiers says the reviews are aimed at improving the efficiency, integrity, and developmental impact of government expenditure.

# The Humansdorp Magistrate’s Court has denied bail to Gqeberha businessman, Robert Evans, charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Vanessa van Rensburg. Her body was found in his Oyster Bay holiday home on Easter Sunday. Evans also faces charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and obstruction of justice. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Luxolo Tyali says the court ruled that Evans failed to show exceptional circumstances for bail, and postponed the case to 18 August:

# Texas officials are facing increased criticism from the media and the community over how much was done or not in the run-up to the flooding of the Guadalupe River. But five days after the flooding, officials still have not provided a clear timeline. More than 110 are dead, and 170 others are still missing after the catastrophic flooding. As search efforts continue, questions linger about what happened during those crucial hours, if existing warning systems had worked, and whether additional preparations before the flooding could have saved lives.

# Motorsport: Red Bull’s Formula One team confirmed the appointment of French engineer Laurent Mekies as new CEO after yesterday’s unceremonious sacking of Christian Horner. The Briton had been in the role for the past 20 years, and told the media he wasn’t given a reason for his dismissal. Mekies joins from Red Bull’s sister team, Racing Bulls, with racing director Alan Permane being promoted to that team’s principal. Red Bull, which won eight drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles during Horner’s reign, is currently fourth in the standings.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-79-cents and the euro at 20-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-514-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-318-dollars-49-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-49-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….