News 13:00

BULLETIN 9 July 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The police commissioner confirms security has been beefed up outside the KwaZulu-Natal commissioner’s home in Durban
# India’s prime minister Narendra Modi conducts a historic first visit to Namibia
# And tennis: Wimbledon’s expansion plans face a legal challenge

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola says security has been beefed up outside  KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s home in Durban following death threats. Mkhwanazi accused the minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, of directly interfering with investigations into political assassinations and organised crime by disbanding the elite political killings task team. Masemola says he never authorised the letter to disband the task team:

Meanwhile, The GOOD Party is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to authorise a Special Investigating Unit probe into Mkhwanazi’s damning allegations. GOOD’s secretary general, Brett Herron, says the SIU is the only state agency with the credibility and integrity to probe the allegations:

# India Narendra Modi arrives in Namibia today, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister since the country’s independence in 1990. The visit forms part of his five-nation tour and focuses on strengthening cooperation in diamond trade, digital exports, and key minerals like lithium and uranium. Namibia’s high commissioner to India, Gabriel Sinimbo, says the visit will enhance bilateral relations and energy partnerships:

# Tennis: A court challenge against the expansion of Wimbledon’s grounds are being heard in London. The group Save Wimbledon Park is taking legal action after planning permission was granted to the All England Club, who wants to treble the main site at a projected cost of 4.8-billion-rand. It would consist of 39 new courts and would increase the daily capacity from 42- to 50-thousand spectators. The club wants to redevelop a former golf course which it owns, but opponents say it ignores redevelopment restrictions agreed on in 1993.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-84-cents and the euro at 20-rand-89-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-626-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-289-dollars-85-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Thonga Beach Lodge in KwaZulu-Natal’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park has been named South Africa’s Leading Beach Hotel at the 2025 World Travel Awards for the second year in a row. Celebrated for combining luxury with sustainability, the lodge supports marine conservation, turtle monitoring, and local community development through the Isibindi Foundation. It was praised for its eco-conscious approach, including plastic-free operations and reef education, which makes it a leader in purpose-driven tourism. The award highlights South Africa’s growing reputation for conservation-led hospitality on the global stage.

Stay tuned for more news………….