News 12:00

BULLETIN 8 July 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Activists and Citizens Forum wants Julius Malema to appear before the Madlanga commission
# The Legal Practice Council moves to strike the former Public Protector from the roll of advocates
# And Shell officially finalises the deal to sell its downstream operations in South Africa

# Activists and Citizens Forum is calling on EFF leader Julius Malema to appear before the Madlanga commission. Evidence leaders yesterday unpacked a series of WhatsApp messages they say suggest Malema was used as a conduit between tainted Crime Intelligence officer Feroz Khan and tobacco businessman Mohammed Sayed. The forum’s Dennis Bloem says the best way for Malema to clear his name is to appear before the commission and answer questions:

# The Legal Practice Council has filed a new application in the High Court in Pretoria to have former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane struck from the roll of advocates, saying she is dishonourable and unworthy of remaining in the legal profession. The application follows her impeachment for misconduct and incompetence in 2023. The council argues numerous adverse court rulings against her demonstrate she is not fit to practise. Mkhwebane had rejected the application as politically motivated last year.

# Shell has officially finalised the deal to sell 100-percent of its equity interest in Shell Downstream South Africa to Abu Dhabi’s state-owned energy giant, ADNOC Distribution, for approximately 16.2-billion-rand. The agreement includes 580 fuel stations alongside Shell’s wholesale fuel, aviation, and lubricants operations. As part of the deal, ADNOC Distribution will sell a 28-percent stake to a local black ekonomic empowerment partner. The iconic Shell emblem will be retained. Shell has emphasised there will be no job losses, and everyday operations will continue uninterrupted, including the convenience stores.

Moving abroad:

#  The US military has launched a series of strikes against Iran, hitting over 80 targets, including more than 60 small boats of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes hit Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. The US Central Command says the attack was to impose high costs on Iran for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent individuals in the strait. Tehran says it has targeted 85 American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to what it calls a ceasefire violation.

On to sports news:

# The International Olympic Committee has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, in effect since October 2023. This will allow Russian athletes to compete in some team events and qualifying competitions ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The ban on the Russian flag and national anthem remains. IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, says an athlete’s participation in international competition should not be limited by the involvement of their government in a war:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-36-cents and the euro at 18-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-975-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-83-dollars-3-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….