News 13:00

BULLETIN 4 July 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Ntshavheni and Stats SA meet the CEO of Capitec over claims disputing the official unemployment rate
# The GOOD Party says the cost of living and segregation drive professionals away from Cape Town
# And Tennis: Alcaraz searches for the perfect serve at Wimbledon and Raducanu eyes Sabalenka’s position

# Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and Statistics South Africa’s statistician-general, Risenga Maluleke, met with Capitec CEO Gerrie Fourie to address concerns over the unemployment figures. This after Fourie recently suggested the actual unemployment rate could be closer to ten-percent, compared to the official 32.9-percent reported by Stats SA. Maluleke said yesterday’s discussions in Stellenbosch were constructive and confirmed Stats SA’s data includes informal and self-employed workers. He added they are open to creating a register for informal businesses to improve labour data.

# The GOOD Party says it is concerned that professionals are increasingly leaving Cape Town for Gauteng, citing high living costs and safety concerns. The party says one of the central reasons cited is the cost of living, particularly the steep municipal rates and tariffs imposed by the DA-led City of Cape Town. GOOD’s Anton Louw says these relentless increases are squeezing residents, undermining affordability, and accelerating the exodus of skilled professionals and working families:

# A summit of BRICS nations will convene in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday with members hoping to weigh in on global crises while tiptoeing around US President Donald Trump’s policies. The city will play host to leaders and diplomats from 11 emerging economies including China, India, Russia and South Africa, which represent nearly half of the world’s population and 40-percent of its GDP. Chinese President Xi Jinping will miss the summit for the first time. Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, will participate via video link.

# Tennis: Carlos Alcaraz will step up his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title when he faces German underdog Jan-Lennard Struff later today. And Britain’s Emma Raducanu will be aiming to add world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka to the growing list of eliminated favourites. Alcaraz knows he must fine-tune his serve to keep his Wimbledon title defence on course, and he hopes to fare better in the third round. Raducanu believes she can add Sabalenka to the growing list of Wimbledon upsets after defeating former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova on Wednesday.

# The Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-59-cents and the euro at 20-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-5-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-334-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company will shut operations at the Upper and Lower Stations from 28 July to 3 August for annual maintenance. Executive director, Selma Hercules, says the closure ensures safety and reliability. Hercules has also called on hikers to descend on foot as no cable car trips will operate. She emphasised that birthday ticket redemptions remain valid before or after the shutdown within the birthday month:

Stay tuned for more news………….