News 11:00

BULLETIN 26 July 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA welcomes Zizi Kodwa’s resignation as MP
# South Africa is at risk of missing its 2030 decarbonisation target
# And Olympic Games: South Africa’s women’s hockey team is ready to give everything in Paris

# ActionSA has welcomed the resignation of former Sport, Arts and Culture minister, Zizi Kodwa, as a member of Parliament. He is facing corruption charges amid allegations that he influenced the awarding of contracts during his time as ANC spokesperson between April 2015 and February 2016. ActionSA’s parliamentary caucus leader, Athol Trollip, says it is unthinkable for an MP to simultaneously juggle courtroom appearances for breaking corruption laws, while also serving in Parliament and shaping the country’s laws:

# The Presidential Climate Commission has warned that South Africa may miss its 2030 decarbonisation target. This is due to delays in the decommissioning of three coal power stations, Camden, Grootvlei and Hendrina, and insufficient new clean energy sources. The commission released its inaugural South African State of Climate Action report yesterday. The report highlights that the lack of consensus about the pace of the coal phaseout is delaying the implementation of necessary policy measures, such as the draft 2023 Integrated Resources Plan.

# The Department of Correctional Services is set to review the parole placement of Marius van der Westhuizen, initially scheduled for Wednesday. The former Cape Town police officer killed his three children 17 years ago and was granted parole last month. The department has opted to scrutinise the correctional supervision and parole board’s report, leading to a reassessment. The department’s Singabakho Nxumalo says this action is in the interest of justice: 

# Human Rights Watch says it is critical that the new UK government does not continue to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court to seek an arrest warrant for Israel’s top leaders. In May, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for Israel and Hamas leaders, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for alleged war crimes. Last month, the court accepted former British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s request to file formal arguments challenging the warrants. Human Rights Watch says the leaders must be held accountable.

# Olympic Games: South African women’s hockey player, Kayla Swart, says the team is confident and believes a medal is possible in Paris. The squad features six players that played at the previous Games in Tokyo. South Africa will open their campaign against Australia in Pool B on Sunday. They will also face Argentina, Great Britain, Spain, and the US in the group stage. Swart, who is Olympian Wayde van Niekerk’s sister, says they will leave it all out on the playing field:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-26-cents and the euro at 19-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-50-cents and Bitcoin trades at 67-thousand-112-dollars-70-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-370-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-31-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….