News 11:00

BULLETIN 22 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The EFF feels vindicated by the firing of minister Nkabane over the SETA scandal
# A protest is set for NEDLAC over the controversial Labour Amendments Bill
# And soccer: Banyana Banyana and Nigeria are set to clash in the Wafcon semifinal tonight

# The EFF says it feels vindicated by the firing of Higher Education and Training minister Nobuhle Nkabane. Her axing by president Cyril Ramaphosa is over the controversy of the appointment of board chairpersons of the Sector Education and Training Authorities. Buti Manamela is now the new minister, with Nomusa Dube-Ncube as his deputy. The EFF’s Sihle Lonzi told the SABC Parliament cannot be used as a shield to protect ministers from scrutiny:

# The Campaign to Scrap the Labour Law Amendment Bills will protest outside the offices of the National Economic Development and Labour Council in Rosebank, Johannesburg, today. Over 40 trade unions, civil society groups, and human rights organisations oppose the proposed labour law changes, which they say will strip vulnerable workers of basic protection. Protesters are demanding full transparency and the withdrawal of amendments that could reintroduce apartheid-style dismissals and weaken job security for millions.

# The DA in Ekurhuleni says if mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza was truly concerned about the negative effect electricity tariffs would have on residents, he would have made an intervention during the budget process. Following violent protests in Tembisa yesterday, the mayor suspended the controversial monthly 109-rand fee for single-phase and 203-rand fee for three-phase electricity connections, while a review takes place. The DA’s Brandon Pretorius says the mayor presented disingenuous answers to angry residents in Tembisa:

Moving abroad:

# US president Donald Trump’s administration has released over 200-thousand pages of records on the assassination of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Junior. He was shot dead in Memphis on April 4th 1968, at the age of 39. The records, which were under a court-imposed seal since 1977, include FBI surveillance files and leads received after King’s assassination. The slain Nobel Laureate’s family, including his two living children, have urged that those who engage with the release of these files do so with empathy, restraint, and respect.

On to sports news:

# Soccer: Defending champions Banyana Banyana play Nigeria in the semifinal of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco tonight. South Africa earlier defeated Ghana, Tanzania and Mali before beating Senegal on penalties in the quarterfinal to book their place in the penultimate round. Head coach Desiree Ellis describes her team as resilient and courageous, with a never-say-die attitude. The hostesses and Ghana face off in the other semifinal, with the final taking place on Saturday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-192-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-384-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….