News 14:00

BULLETIN 22 July 14 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament emphasises that dismissal doesn’t excuse Nobuhle Nkabane from accounting
# The DA slams police for sidelining K9 units amid the Cape Flats crime surge
# And tennis: Venus Williams wins in her first match in 16-months

# A member of Parliament’s Higher Education portfolio committee, Karabo Khakhau, says former Higher Education and Training minister, Nobuhle Nkabane, must still account to the committee. Speaking during a debate, Khakhau questioned legal advice shielding Nkabane and insisted Parliament retains the power to summon her as a private citizen. She emphasised the committee’s duty to uphold accountability, stating Nkabane’s dismissal does not absolve her of fraud allegations and past misconduct in office:

# The DA has criticised the police for sidelining its K9 units while gang and drug violence escalates on the Cape Flats. The DA’s Nicholas Gotsell revealed only one narcotics sniffer dog is active across Cape Town while six medically fit dogs await training, with no scheduled courses. He says the party demands urgent action from provincial police commissioner Thembisile Patekile to deploy the dogs and prioritise their crime-fighting capabilities:

# The Energy Regulator has extended the nomination period for the Electricity Market Advisory Forum to the 31st of this month. Nersa spokesperson, Poppie Mahlangu, says in April this year the regulator approved the establishment of a section 5 advisory forum in terms of the Electricity Regulation Act. She says this forum will advise the Energy Regulator on various matters relating to the establishment of a competitive electricity market:

# Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dion George, has approved the publication of the draft National Greenhouse Gas Carbon Budget and Mitigation Plan Regulations for public comment. The draft regulations empower the minister to establish a list of greenhouse gases and activities contributing to climate change. They also support South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions to limit greenhouse gas emissions to between 350- and 420-million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. George says this marks a critical step towards a sustainable, low-carbon future.

# Tennis: Former world number one, 45-year-old Venus Williams, made a winning start in a doubles match on her return to competition after an absence of 16-months. She and her American compatriot, Hailey Baptiste, beat Canadian Eugenie Bouchard and American Clervie Ngounoue in straight sets in the round of 16 at the Washington Open. Williams also plans to return to singles after receiving a wildcard for the tournament. She plays another American, Peyton Stearns, in the round of 32.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-59-cents and the euro at 20-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-491-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-388-dollars-18-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….