News 12:00

BULLETIN 3 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# TotalEnergies is to exit its South African gas-condensate discoveries
# The port of Cape Town sees a 30-percent productivity increase over six months
# And tennis: The defending champion Marketa Vondrousova admits nerves got the best of her after her Wimbledon exit

# TotalEnergies plans to exit its gas-condensate discoveries off South Africa’s coast to focus on exploration closer to Namibia. The company spent 7.4-billion-rand on the Brulpadda and Luiperd fields but doubts their commercial viability due to South Africa’s small gas market. This exit is expected to impact plans to reduce coal dependence. Africa Energy Corporation has also announced its withdrawal from the joint operating agreement with TotalEnergies. Legislative delays and environmental campaigns have hindered South Africa’s oil and gas development.

# The port of Cape Town has seen a 30-percent productivity increase over the past six months. According to Transnet, this boost is credited to new equipment and policy changes. Key improvements include staffing adjustments, the acquisition of seven additional rubber tyre gantry cranes and ten trucks used to transport containers. The Navis operating system used by the port has also been improved. Exporters Western Cape chairperson, Terry Gale, says he is optimistic that the port’s performance will continue to improve.

# Newly appointed Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber says he is ready to tackle various challenges, including improving the work visa process, which is critical for economic growth. Business has repeatedly complained about the long delays companies experience in obtaining work visas for senior personnel. Speaking to eNCA, Schreiber says he also aims to reform basic IT and business processes to reduce long queues and enhance service efficiency and dignity:

# Former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, has been disbarred after a court found he repeatedly made false statements about former president Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss. He was a federal prosecutor and legal adviser to Trump. The Manhattan Appeals Court ruled Giuliani, who had his New York law license suspended in 2021 for making false statements around the election, is no longer allowed to practice law in the state. He is also facing criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona.

# Tennis: Defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova says she struggled to shake off her nerves in her first-round exit. World number 83 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain defeated the 25-year-old Czech 6-4, 6-2 for her first Grand Slam victory. This is the first time since 1994, when Steffi Graf lost to Lori McNeil, that the women’s defending champion has lost in the first round at Wimbledon. Vondrousova says she will learn from this experience:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-49-cents and the euro at 19-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-49-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-804-dollars-14-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-346-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….