News 07:00

BULLETIN 31 July 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA welcomes the release of overdue crime statistics
# Israel carried out an airstrike strike against a Hezbollah commander in Beirut
# And rugby: The Boks are trying a new approach for their clash against Australia

# The DA has welcomed the news that the overdue crime statistics will be released next month. DA national spokesperson for police, Ian Cameron, has raised concerns over the rampant crime affecting South Africa. This includes the murder of a teacher in KwaZulu-Natal and mass shootings over the weekend. He says these statistics will reveal SAPS’ measures to combat crime:

# Eskom has pre-coded 6.6-million of its 6.9-million prepayment meters to ensure a smooth transition after the 24 November deadline. This pre-coding helps customers continue buying electricity seamlessly. Eskom’s Monde Bala emphasised that meters will be ready to accept new tokens or can be easily re-coded. Customers should use all old tokens before entering new recode tokens. Eskom warns against scammers and advises using authorised vendors for purchasing tokens.  

# Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, has approved the immediate suspension of officials implicated in alleged financial irregularities, within the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights in the Eastern Cape. Chief Land Claims Commissioner, Nomfundo Ntloko, says they have already initiated a process to address and rectify weaknesses identified in the Standard Operating Procedures that were exploited in the alleged irregular activity. Minister Nyhontso says corruption undermines the commitment to restore land rights and provide restitution to rightful beneficiaries.

# The Gauteng Education Department is set to introduce a Diversification Social Cohesion Programme at the Pretoria High School for Girls. MEC for Education and Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane says the programme will be spearheaded by the student governing body and in collaboration with parents. He says the initiative aims to address the root causes of racism in schools and propose solutions:

# The Israel Defence Force says it has carried out a strike, targeting a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for a deadly attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday. The city had been bracing for an attack in retaliation for a weekend rocket attack on the occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 children as they played soccer. Israel and the US have blamed Hezbollah for the attack, which it has denied. Israel’s Defence minister Yoav Gallant says Hezbollah has crossed the red line with Saturday’s attack.

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has stressed the importance of setting the tone for what he says will be a vastly different challenge when they face Australia in Brisbane next weekend. Under Erasmus, the Boks have only once beaten the Wallabies in Australia, where the 2027 World Cup will be held. The squad is travelling today to acclimatise as quickly as possible down under. Erasmus says they want to be as fully prepared by the time they slot back into full Test-match mode:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-30-cents and the euro at 19-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-51-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-218-dollars-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-407-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….