News 06:00

BULLETIN 4 July 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says David Mabuza deserves South Africa’s appreciation
# Chief Justice Mandisa Maya calls for an end to English-only court records
# And Zweli Mkhize says officials investigating sensitive cases must be protected

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says former deputy president David Mabuza deserves South Africa’s appreciation for his deep commitment to the liberation struggle and the nation’s development as an inclusive, prosperous, democratic state. Mabuza was 65 and passed away on Thursday at a hospital in Mpumalanga following a short illness. The president’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says on behalf of the government and the nation, Ramaphosa offers his profound condolences to the late deputy president’s wife, Mama Mabuza, and their children:

# Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has called for an end to English being the sole language of record in South African courts. She made the remarks during a forensic linguistics and legal conference hosted at the University of the Western Cape. Academics and experts at the conference echoed her concerns, highlighting how language barriers impact fair trials and access to justice for ordinary citizens. Maya said language is critical for access to justice, calling for a review of the 2017 directive that made English mandatory in court proceedings.

# Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Portfolio Committee chairperson, Zweli Mkhize, has called for extra protection for officials handling risky investigations. Mkhize told Newzroom Afrika that the criminal justice authorities must shield officials probing sensitive cases from threats and targeted attacks. This follows the murder of City of Ekurhuleni senior auditor Mpho Mafole. He emphasised the need to safeguard whistleblowers and investigators to uphold accountability and combat corruption:

# Three Cameroonian nationals have appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for allegedly running a counterfeit money syndicate. The case has been postponed to 10 July for a bail hearing. The trio were arrested in Elarduspark after police discovered them printing fake South African notes and US dollars. National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says one accused also faces a bribery charge for allegedly offering police two-thousand-rand to avoid arrest:

# Russia killed two people in an airstrike on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava yesterday. It damaged a military draft office there in what Kyiv said was a concerted campaign to disrupt recruitment for its war effort. The strike on Poltava, which also injured 47 people and caused a fire at the city’s main draft office, followed a drone attack on Monday near a recruitment centre in Kryvyi Rih. Vitaliy Sarantsev, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s ground forces, told the country’s state broadcaster that the Russian goal is to disrupt the mobilisation process.

# Tennis: Novak Djokovic stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title as he moved into the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 rout of British wildcard Dan Evans. Djokovic needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans with a ruthless display in the second round on Centre Court. The sixth seed struggled with stomach issues in his four-set win against Alexandre Muller. There were no lingering effects for the seven-time Wimbledon champion as he overwhelmed Evans with 46 winners.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-50-cents and the euro at 20-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-647-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-329-dollars-73-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….