News 12:00

BULLETIN 16 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Electoral Court accepts the IEC’s request to hear the MK Party’s vote-rigging case
# The DA opposes the minister’s push for expropriation of land without compensation
# And, TUT and its partners produce South Africa’s first window blinds doubling as solar panels

# The Electoral Court has agreed to the Electoral Commission’s request to hear the MK Party matter challenging the election results despite the party withdrawing its application. The IEC says the notice of withdrawal was irregular, and the case should be heard so the allegations of vote rigging can be publicly ventilated and tested. MK claims it was robbed of votes in the general elections. The matter has been set down for a virtual hearing on the 29th of July.

# The DA has vowed to defend property rights in the Constitution. The party opposes minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso’s push to re-open the debate on expropriation without compensation, stating it contradicts the government of national unity’s spirit. The DA’s Mlindi Nhanha argues that Section 25 already allows for just and equitable land reform and that reopening this issue will create economic instability:

# Kenyan police have arrested a suspected serial killer who had confessed to murdering 42 women including his wife before dumping their dismembered bodies in a Nairobi rubbish tip. Since Friday, a total of nine butchered bodies trussed up in plastic bags have been pulled from the garbage site in the Mukuru slum area in the south of the capital, a gruesome discovery that has horrified the nation. The 33-year-old suspect, named as Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, claimed the murders took place between 2022 and 11 July this year.

# Rugby: Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids says they are determined to return to their high standard of play when they face Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The Boks stuck to a six-two split for the drawn Ireland series that worked out in the first Test they won 27-20 at Loftus Versfeld but was tested in the 25-24 loss at Kings Park this past Saturday. Davids says the team is highly motivated to bounce back strongly from last week’s defeat:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-16-cents and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-56-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-985-dollars-35-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-433-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Tshwane University of Technology has collaborated with LC Dynamics to develop a pioneering invention to cut down on energy bills. The creation is smart blinds with built-in solar panels that can keep some of the most critical home devices charged. Curtis Tshehla, who oversaw both the mechanical and electronic needs of the product, says installing the photovoltaic window blinds can save up to 70-percent on the electric power bill. He adds that solar blinds can save energy by shading the home interior and reducing air-conditioning costs by up to 40-percent.

Stay tuned for more news………….