News 14:00

BULLETIN 21 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Andrea Johnson says Dumisani Khumalo’s probe followed standard procedure
# Anglo American names its preferred bidder for De Beers
# And cricket: Australia is boosted by the return of Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon for the Bangladesh Test series

# The head of the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, Andrea Johnson, says the investigation into Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo followed normal legal processes. She told the Madlanga commission the case originated from a referral by Member of Parliament, Fadiel Adams, under the National Prosecuting Authority Act. Johnson says she and investigators were unaware of Khumalo’s role in the political killings task team and it had no bearing on investigations:

# Transnet Group CEO Michelle Phillips says the state-owned logistics company is tightening procurement controls to stop overpaying for goods and services. Speaking at the SAPICS 2026 conference in Cape Town, Phillips said seven companies have been blacklisted and several employees dismissed over corruption. She says Transnet will only pay market-related prices as it implements new systems to curb fraud. Phillips also revealed the company will invest 129.1-billion-rand over five years while strengthening security against theft and sabotage.

Western Cape premier Alan Winde and the MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Ivan Meyer, have meanwhile welcomed Transnet’s decision to seek private sector partners for the port of Cape Town. They say improved port efficiency will strengthen exports, attract investment, and create jobs. Meyer added the reform will help reduce congestion and delays, lower business costs, and support key sectors:

# Anglo American has named the Global Diamond Consortium its preferred bidder for its De Beers diamond business. Led by former De Beers CEO Gareth Penny, the consortium will enter exclusive negotiations to finalise the transaction. He says the sale forms part of Anglo’s plan to focus on copper and iron ore. Penny says Botswana, which owns a 15-percent stake in De Beers, is considering whether to exercise its right of first refusal and match the consortium’s offer.

# Cricket: Australian bowling trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have been named in a strong 13-player squad for next month’s two-match home World Test Championship series against Bangladesh. They have been plagued by injuries over the past 12 months, with captain Cummins not having played since December last year. Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc are also in the squad. Australia sits on top of the championship standings, while Bangladesh is in fourth place.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-41-cents and the euro at 18-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-4-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-323-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-and-68-dollars-77-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars-71-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….