News 15:00

BULLETIN 28 July 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Presidency reports major progress on state capture recommendations
# ActionSA says BEE was never intended to benefit foreign nationals 
# And rugby: A former All Black could make his debut for the Wallabies in the third Test against the Lions

# The Presidency says good progress is being made in fighting state capture, with nearly half of the 60 planned actions now completed and eleven-billion-rand in stolen money recovered. However, former chief justice Raymond Zondo has warned that prosecutions are too slow, and public trust is at risk. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says a new anti-corruption unit has been set up, and major laws have been changed to stop future corruption:

# ActionSA says South Africa’s empowerment agenda must remain focused on the needs of South Africans and not benefit foreign nationals. The party says the Polokwane Local Municipality in Limpopo awarded tenders totaling approximately 200-million-rand to foreign-owned companies in the past two financial years. ActionSA’s Tshepo Magoma says the foundational purpose of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment is to remedy historical injustices by empowering previously disadvantaged South African citizens:

# The DA in Tshwane has voiced opposition to any sale, lease, or donation of the Pretoria City Hall to Iran for a cultural centre. Caucus leader Cilliers Brink says Iran is not interested in restoring the landmark but seeks municipal property. Brink warns this move could damage diplomatic ties with the US, South Africa’s key trading partner. He emphasised that this compromises national interests for narrow political gain:

# China says it is looking forward to ensuring reciprocity in trade with the United States, as top economic officials are set to renew negotiations in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Talks between the world’s top two economies are expected over two days, with an extension of lower tariff levels on the cards as president Donald Trump’s trade policy enters a critical week. For dozens of trading partners, including South Africa, failing to strike an agreement in the coming days means they could face significant tariff hikes on exports to the US from Friday.

#  Rugby: Former All Blacks prop Aidan Ross could make his debut for the Wallabies in this weekend’s third and final Test against the British and Irish Lions. He was born in Australia and moved to New Zealand as a child. Twenty-nine-year-old Ross played his only Test for the Kiwis in 2022 and has now completed World Rugby’s mandatory three-year gap before being allowed to play for another country. The Lions won the first two Tests and the final one will be played in Sydney on Saturday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-85-cents and the euro at 20-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-94-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-568-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-335-dollars-56-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….