News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The City of Cape Town offers a 100-thousand-rand reward to catch the Mitchells Plain shooters
# Foot-and-mouth outbreak sparks panic buying as meat prices surge
# And Rugby: A Bloemfontein-born fullback could make his French debut against the All Blacks

# The City of Cape Town is offering a 100-thousand-rand reward for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for mass shootings in Mitchells Plain. On Thursday, ten people were shot in three separate incidents in Beacon Valley and three died. Two more people were killed in Tafelsig and Town Centre. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith says the recent shootings are a direct threat to the safety and wellbeing of the communities:

# Foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks at major cattle feedlots, including Karan Beef near Heidelberg in Gauteng have sparked panic buying and pushed red meat prices up nationwide. Retailers report a 20-percent year-on-year surge, with beef steak up 4.5-percent and mince up 1.7-percent in May. According to News24, exports to China and the European Union have been halted, and strict movement restrictions are tightening supply. Authorities urge calm as efforts continue to contain the outbreak and stabilise South Africa’s meat supply chain.

# Alexandra Abrahams of the DA says more than two million South African Social Security Agency grant beneficiaries might not receive the grants come October 2025 should the Public Protector’s warning ring true. The Public Protector investigated allegations of undue delay by SASSA and the irregular appointment of the former SASSA CEO, Busisiwe Memela-Khambula. Abrahams says that the DA has requested that SASSA, Postbank, and the South African Reserve Bank account to Parliament as a matter of urgency:

# Russia launched its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight just hours after a telephone call between US and Russian presidents ended without any breakthrough. AFP journalists in the capital heard drones buzzing over Kyiv and explosions ringing out as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack. President Donald Trump said he had made no progress with Vladimir Putin on ending the war in a call, as the Kremlin insisted Russia would pursue its war aims.

# Rugby: French coach Fabian Galthie included eight uncapped players in his team for tomorrow’s first Test against the All Blacks in Dunedin. They include Bloemfontein-born fullback Jacobus van Tonder, winger Tom Spring, flyhalf Joris Seconds, and prop Giorgi Beria. Experienced centre Gael Fickou will captain France in his 95th Test while veteran prop Rabah Slimani returns to Test rugby for the first time since October 2019. The second Test takes place in Wellington next Saturday and the final one in Hamilton on the 19th.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-58-cents and the euro at 20-rand-71-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-5-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-335-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….