News 14:00

BULLETIN 11 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SANParks closes sections of the Table Mountain and Tankwa Karoo parks due to floods and snow
# A Gauteng MEC visits the families of the Carletonville crash victims
# And, tennis: It’s women’s semifinal day at Wimbledon today

# SANParks reports that various sections of Table Mountain National Park and the entire Tankwa Karoo National Park have been closed due to flooding and heavy snowfall in the Western Cape. Closed areas include the Cape Point overnight hiking trail and access roads to various cottages and camps. Hikers are advised to avoid all trails, especially today. SANParks spokesperson JP Louw urges visitors to avoid these areas and exercise caution:

# Gauteng MEC for Education, Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation, Matome Chiloane, will visit the families of learners who died in an accident in Carletonville yesterday. Twelve learners and their driver were killed when a bakkie hit their learner transport, causing it to overturn and burst into flames. Eleven learners from Rockland Primary and one from Laerskool Blyvooruitsig died. Seven others are recovering in hospital. Spokesperson Steve Mabona says Chiloane is saddened by the loss.

Meanwhile, AZAPO calls upon government to invest in efficient public transport and ensure less private vehicles and trucks on South African roads. Spokesperson Jabu Rakwena says in KwaZulu-Natal in 2022, 18 learners and two adults were killed when a truck driver overtook on a barrier line against on-coming traffic and crashed with a bakkie:

# The DA has retained its position as the official opposition in the Northern Cape. This follows the formation of committees and the election of chairpersons in the provincial legislature. Despite securing less than 50-percent support, the ANC has formed a coalition with the Freedom Front Plus and the Patriotic Alliance to maintain power and secure Zamani Saul’s premiership. The DA, holding the second-largest share of votes, pledges to hold the executive and provincial departments accountable, fight corruption and unemployment, and improve service delivery.

# Tennis: It’s women’s semifinals day at Wimbledon today. Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan, the highest seed left in the draw, will play Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic after victories over Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, respectively. Seventh-seeded Jasmine Paolini of Italy booked her place in the penultimate round with a victory over American Emma Navarro. She plays Donna Vekic of Croatia, who eliminated New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun.  

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-6-cents and the euro at 19-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 58-thousand-219-dollars-13-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-383-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 85-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….