News 15:00

BULLETIN 5 July 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# OUTA criticises the Gauteng government’s composition
# A tax consulting firm warns of criminal charges for non-compliance
# And rugby: Samoa beats Italy at the start of a weekend packed with internationals

# OUTA has raised concerns over Gauteng’s government composition following premier Panyaza Lesufi’s announcement, which excluded the DA from its executive. The DA accused the ANC of negotiating in bad faith and attempting to trick it into accepting fewer positions. Lesufi announced his cabinet on Wednesday following previous postponements. OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage says the provincial government lacks full representation:

# Tax Consulting SA has warned that South Africans who do not comply with tax laws risk criminal charges. The South African Revenue Service is intensifying efforts against tax non-compliance ahead of the 2024 filing season from July 15 to October 21. Head of Strategic Engagement & Compliance Jashwin Baijoo emphasises that errors, false submissions, non-filing, and tax evasion constitute criminal offences under the Tax Administration Act of 2011. Offenders face severe penalties or imprisonment, regardless of their status.

# Botswana is developing its first satellite, BOTSAT-1, through a collaboration between its International University of Science and Technology and Bulgarian space company EnduroSat. Scheduled for launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission in February next year, the 3U nanosatellite will support Botswana’s agriculture and mining sectors. The university’s engineers will join EnduroSat in Bulgaria for assembly and integration, highlighting the technology transfer central to this project. The satellite will be controlled from the university.

# Rugby: Samoa surprised Italy by beating the visitors 33-25 in Apia at the start of a weekend packed with international fixtures. The islanders overcame a 10-point deficit, scoring four tries to the Azzurri’s three. Italy was seen as favourites after beating Wales and Scotland during the Six Nations. The victory is regarded as a good start to the reign of Samoa’s new coach and new captain, Mahonri Schwalger and Theo McFarland. Italy plays Tongo next week, followed by a Test against Japan in Tokyo.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-71-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-30-cents and Bitcoin trades at 55-thousand-276-dollars-85-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-364-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 87-dollars-26-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Weather Service has issued several more warnings of inclement weather in the Western Cape in the coming days. The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre’s spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, says the warnings are in place this weekend and include a yellow level 4 warning for disruptive rainfall on Sunday, as well as orange level 6 warnings for damaging coastal and interior winds, continuing into Monday:

Stay tuned for more news………….