News 15:00

BULLETIN 3 July 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile has been officially sworn in
# The missing British teenager Jay Slater’s mother is in anguish after the search ends
# And tennis: The two men’s favourites are in action in Wimbledon’s second round today

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile has been officially sworn in, marking the commencement of his duties in the seventh administration. This follows president Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of ministers and deputies who are also taking their oaths at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo presides over the ceremony. Mashatile promised to devote himself to the well-being of the republic:

Meanwhile, the Southern African Agri Initiative says there are several issues in the agricultural sector that will require the urgent attention of the new minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, as well as new Transport minister Barbara Creecy. Saai’s Theo de Jager says the animal industries are under pressure and it would benefit Steenhuisen to have an inclusive working group session with livestock farmers as soon as possible:

# The mother of missing British teenager Jay Slater says words cannot describe the pain and agony she and her family are feeling about his disappearance. Debbie Duncan said they are a very close family and are devastated by his disappearance. The 19-year-old, from Lancashire, was last seen on 17 June after setting off to walk back to his accommodation while on holiday in Tenerife. Despite an extensive search of the area, he has not been found. Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations.

# Tennis: The two favourites in Wimbledon’s men’s draw take to the court in the second round today. World number one Jannik Sinner of Italy faces his unseeded compatriot, Matteo Berrettini, for a place in the third round. The defending champion, third-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, plays Aleksandar Vukic of Australia. From a South African point of view, there will be interest in Lloyd Harris’s match against 14th-seeded American Ben Shelton. Second-seeded Coco Gauff will play Romanian Anca Todoni in the women’s draw.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 60-thousand-320-dollars-27-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-344-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 86-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A report by SpendTrend24, in collaboration with Visa, shows digital wallet transactions are set to double by 2028. In 2023, South Africa saw a nine-percent increase in digital wallet use for in-store purchases, with online spending outpacing in-store by five times. Discovery Bank clients lead in both online and in-store spending growth. High inflation is also believed to drive consumers to prefer digital wallets for rewards and security.

Stay tuned for more news………….