News 12:00

BULLETIN 1 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A court rules Matlala’s plea deal is too lenient
# The looting of foreign-owned spaza shops in Alexandra leaves one person dead
# And Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure cause widespread fuel shortages

# The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court has rejected businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s eight-year prison sentence plea for fraud, corruption and money laundering linked to a 228.6-million-rand SAPS-Medicare24 tender. Magistrate Ignatius du Preez described Matlala as the scheme’s mastermind. He questioned whether his cooperation reflects genuine remorse or an attempt to secure a lighter sentence. Du Preez proposed a 12-year prison term, subject to the deliberations between the state and defence:

The South African Police Service has meanwhile dismissed Brigadier Rachel Matjeng, arising from her relationship with Matlala. She is one of 12 officers linked to the Medicare24 tender scandal. Matjeng’s dismissal follows the conclusion of an internal disciplinary process in which she was found guilty on multiple counts of serious misconduct. Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says corruption, criminality and any form of collusion with criminals have no place within SAPS:

# One person was killed following violent anti-illegal immigration protests in Alexandra in the north of Johannesburg. Police say community members were looting foreign-owned spaza shops when shots were fired, fatally wounding the victim. The person has not yet been identified, and no arrests have been made. Violence escalated in Alexandra last night after nationwide demonstrations calling for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder.

Moving abroad:

# Sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have severely disrupted domestic fuel production, causing widespread fuel shortages at pumps across the capital of Moscow. The crisis, which peaked late last month, has slashed Russian gasoline production to levels well below national consumption. The impact is visible nationwide, stretching from major hubs like Moscow to remote border regions and Russian-occupied territories. Reuters reports independent filling stations in Russia have begun selling fuel for more than 20.81-rand per litre for the first time.

# Soccer: Julian Nagelsman wants to stay on as Germany’s coach despite the four-time champion being eliminated during the round of 32 of the World Cup. Their unexpected demise to Paraguay was the first time Germany ever lost a penalty shoot-out at a World Cup. Nagelsman’s contract stretches to the European Championship of 2028, but he is under pressure, with former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp touted as a possible replacement. Nagelsman says he has a lot of quality young players in the squad for the road ahead.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-41-cents and the euro at 18-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-491-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-977-dollars-30-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-23-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….