News 09:00

BULLETIN 6 Julie 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament’s Police Committee is calling on SAPS to consider additional charges against Feroz Khan
# Deputy minister Zikalala reaffirms government’s commitment to expanding student accommodation
# And tennis: Novak Djokovic makes history at Wimbledon while Aryna Sabalenka is knocked out

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Police chairperson, Ian Cameron, has called on SAPS management to consider whether additional charges should be pursued against suspended deputy Crime Intelligence head, Feroz Khan. Last week, the Madlanga Commission heard evidence on how Khan allegedly facilitated tenders on behalf of controversial businessman Mohammed “Mo” Sayed. The tenders include an SAPS personal protective equipment contract during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cameron says the evidence presented before the commission reinforces the committee’s longstanding call for comprehensive lifestyle audits and integrity assessments, beginning with senior SAPS management.

# Deputy minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding safe, affordable and quality student accommodation. He says the student housing Infrastructure programme across universities and TVET colleges aims to deliver around 300-thousnd beds by 2030. Zikalala says phase one has already delivered over 12-thousand-219 beds, created approximately three-thousand employment opportunities, and mobilised around 3.5-billion-rand in investment to date:

# The Western Cape government says it has successfully concluded its coordinated humanitarian operation to assist foreign nationals who voluntarily elected to return to their countries of origin. The voluntary repatriation operation followed extensive verification, registration and logistical planning undertaken by the Department of Home Affairs and supporting partners. Premier Alan Winde says temporary facilities established for the operation have now been demobilised. He adds that municipalities will not provide any further transport logistics for the repatriation of foreign nationals:

# The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia, have agreed to increase oil production as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains below pre-war levels. The seven oil-producing members will raise daily output by 188-thousand barrels from August. This is on top of similar increases for June and July. Gulf oil exports in June jumped more than three million barrels from May to exceed ten million barrels per day, although the volume remained 40-percent below pre-war levels.

# Tennis: Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic is through to his 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal after defeating Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The Serb has broken Roger Federer’s record for match victories at the All England Club with 106. Italian defending champion Jannik Sinner beat Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3, to make the last eight. In the women’s draw, Japan’s Naomi Osaka stunned world number one Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, 6-2, 7-6, to make the quarterfinals for the first time, while American Coco Gauff defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-24-cents and the euro at 18-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-67-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-158-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-162-dollars-67-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….