News 08:00

BULLETIN 6 July 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Treasury reports over 10-billion-rand in unpaid government invoices
# Olympics: Another 27 athletes are added to Team SA for the Paris Games
# And, a series of cold fronts will hit South Africa from this weekend

# The National Treasury reports that over ten-billion-rand in invoices from the 2023/24 financial year remain unpaid by national and provincial governments. Despite laws mandating payment within 30 days, more than one-thousand-400 invoices are overdue. Chief director Moipone Ramoipone confirms that the Departments of Justice and of Public Works are the worst offenders. Ramoipone cites issues like misfiled invoices and cash-flow problems, recommending disciplinary actions and heightened oversight to address these delays:

# The South African Correctional Services Workers Union has voiced concerns over drug distribution in prisons. The follows the arrest of two drug mules heading to Helderstroom Correctional Facility in the Western Cape. The union cites increasing gang activities and corruption as threats to the rehabilitation system. Spokesperson Alude Jizana calls for enhanced security measures, collaboration with law enforcement, and support programmes for recovering addicts to tackle the issue:

# Rachel Reeves became Britain’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer when new prime minister Keir Starmer announced the first members of his cabinet. She is one of several women in the executive, which also includes Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister, Yvette Cooper as Home secretary, Bridget Phillipson as minister of Education, and Shabana Mahmood as Justice secretary. David Lammy was appointed Foreign secretary, John Healy for Defence, Ed Milliband for Energy and Wes Streeting for Health.

# Olympics: Twenty-seven additional athletes have been included in Team South Africa for the Games in Paris. They include the Blitzboks, and British Open champion golfer Ashleigh Buhai, who will make her Olympic debut. South Africa wants to compete in 19 of the 32 sporting codes, with the team including 140 members at this stage. The Blitzboks already named a preliminary squad of 16 which will be decreased to 12 plus two reserves. The Games start in the French capital on the 26th of this month.

# And, the Weather Service has warned of approaching cold fronts this weekend, with temperatures expected to drop dramatically. Snow is forecast over the Western Cape mountains from today, extending to the Eastern Cape mountains tomorrow. Forecaster Celeste Fourie says the first cold front will significantly lower temperatures. Next week, five cold fronts are expected, bringing cold and rainy weather to the Western Cape.

Stay tuned for more news………….