News 07:00

BULLETIN 10 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Motshekga says the South African National Defence Force will be well-resourced
# Donald Trump wants to strengthen relations with Africa
# And rugby: The Junior Boks thrash Scotland to book a U20 Championship semifinal spot

# Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga says, despite financial constraints, the South African National Defence Force will have the necessary resources to defend and protect the country. The department has received a budget of 57-billion-rand for the 2025/2026 financial year, 64-percent of which goes to salaries of troops, generals, and staff. Motshekga told Parliament that soldiers on deployment will also get priority support for all their needs during deployment:

# Public Works minister Dean Macpherson has unveiled a 7.6-billion-rand allocation for 2024/25 focused on fighting corruption, accelerating infrastructure delivery, and digitising operations. Key reforms include lifestyle audits, cracking down on the construction mafia, and asset optimisation. Macpherson says the department must end mismanagement and drive job creation. He emphasised that the Expanded Public Works Programme will continue its mandate to reduce poverty and unemployment:

# The National Employers’ Association of South Africa says the amended Employment Equity Act forces businesses to hire based on race under threat of harsh penalties. The organisation believes this approach is unconstitutional, unrealistic, and damaging to both businesses and the economy. They have joined Sakeliga in opposing the law in the High Court in Pretoria. NEASA CEO Gerhard Papenfus argues the quotas could lead to workplace tensions and reduced productivity:

# ActionSA will stage a picket outside the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS Provincial Headquarters today, demanding urgent action over the worsening crisis in the police and justice system. This follows explosive claims by KZN police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, about political corruption and abuse of police funds. ActionSA says rooting out corruption must start within law enforcement. They are calling for accountability to tackle South Africa’s rampant crime rate.

# US president Donald Trump says his administration is committed to strengthening its relationships in Africa through economic development efforts. He hosted leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal at the White House on Wednesday to discuss trade, immigration, and defence. There is currently doubt about whether the US will renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which guarantees duty-free access for certain goods from Africa. Trump says there is great economic potential in Africa:

# Rugby: The Junior Springboks thrashed Scotland 73-14 to book a spot in the semifinals of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy. South Africa scored eleven tries with winger Jaco Williams bagging a brace alongside scrumhalf Ceano Everson, to seal top spot in their group. This is the Junior Boks’ third straight bonus-point victory in the pool phase of the competition. South Africa also managed to beat Australia and defending champions England en route to the semifinals.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-78-cents and the euro at 20-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 111-thousand-243-dollar. Gold sells at three-thousand-325-dollars-53-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….