News 09:00

BULLETIN 26 Junie 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Godongwana orders a probe into the investments of the Public Investment Corporation
# The DA supports minister Schreiber’s identity verification system
# And Trump calls for Netanyahu’s corruption trial to be cancelled

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has reportedly ordered an investigation into the 170-billion-rand investments in the unlisted portfolio of the Public Investment Corporation. The asset manager’s unlisted investments are supposed to give small businesses a kick-start and create jobs while supporting transformation. The probe will also include Daybreak Foods, which has only paid back 17-million-rand of the 483-million-rand the Unemployment Insurance Fund invested in it back in 2015. According to Business Day, the report of the investigation is expected in the next few months.

# The DA says it welcomes Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber’s action to transform the department’s identity verification service into a world-class infrastructure. This vastly enhanced service will boost service delivery from government departments and enhance financial inclusion in the private sector. The DA’s, Adrian Roos, says for years, the department has provided access to its national identity database at just 15-cents per transaction, substantially below the actual cost of maintaining the service:

# The Freedom Front Plus says the impression created by the Tshwane Metro coalition government’s propaganda about their hard work to resolve service delivery issues stands in stark contrast with the reality on the grassroots level. The party’s Mark Surgeon says large parts of the metro have broken streetlights, motorists must navigate inaccessible roads, and visitors are greeted by heaps of uncollected refuse. He says crimes such as theft of cables, vehicles, and water meters are escalating rapidly:

# US president Donald Trump says the ongoing corruption trial against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a witch hunt. The 75-year-old was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. He is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assisting him with personal and business interests. On Truth Social, Trump says the trial should be cancelled or Netanyahu be granted a pardon, as he has done so much for Israel.

# Tennis: Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu suffered a shock defeat to Australian teenager Maya Joint in the second round at Eastbourne. The British star slumped to a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 loss. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic saved three match points to reach the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 victory against Britain’s Jodie Burrage. In the men’s draw, Britain’s Dan Evans knocked out American Tommy Paul, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, while there were also wins for Czech Jakub Mensik and France’s Ugo Humbert.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-23-cents and Bitcoin trades at 107-thousand-88-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-335-dollars-77-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-68-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….