News 14:00

BULLETIN 23 July 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA launches legal action against John Hlophe’s designation to the JSC
# The SIU to seize assets worth 52-million-rand in a Covid-19 PPE corruption case
# And, Olympics: LeBron James will be one of Team USA’s flagbearers in Paris

# The DA says it has filed papers in the Western Cape High Court against the designation of former judge John Hlophe to the Judicial Service Commission. The DA’s Helen Zille says the application seeks to urgently interdict Hlophe from taking up a seat in the JSC, pending the outcome of the second part. She says this entails the party seeking to review and set aside the decision by the National Assembly to designate Hlophe as the MK Party’s representative at the commission:

# The Special Investigating Unit, the Asset Forfeiture Unit, and the Hawks are seizing assets worth over 52-million-rand today, related to a 2020/21 Covid-19 personal protection equipment corruption case. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago told the SABC 22 senior executives from the Department of Public Works in Mpumalanga, Gauteng, North West, and the Western Cape are targeted. He says the team has targeted approximately 34 locations:

# The University of Witwatersrand’s vice-chancellor, professor Imraan Valodia,  says the country needs fresh thinking to shift the economy onto a more employment-intensive growth path. Valodia says addressing South Africa’s unemployment challenge requires some new thinking and an acknowledgement that policies that seek to deregulate the labour market are no solution. He says South Africa requires policies to increase the demand for labour, which means finding a new growth trajectory that is employment intensive. These could involve much greater public investment in rural areas and townships.

# The Western Cape Education Department has announced Grade R and transfer applications for 2025 will open on the first of next month. Parents can apply for Grade R online, requiring an immunisation card, ID, and proof of address. Transfer applications for Grades two to seven and nine to 12 must be submitted at the relevant school or WCED office, with the necessary documents like the last report card and ID. MEC David Maynier has urged parents to apply as soon as possible:

# Olympics: Basketball hero LeBron James will be one of Team USA’s flag bearers during the opening ceremony in Paris on Friday. The rest of the team picked the 39-year-old for the event on the River Seine, marking the first time an opening ceremony takes place outside the main stadium. The athletes will be paraded on flotillas. James describes it as an incredible honour to represent America on the global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-928-dollars-1-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-407-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-34-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….