News 15:00

BULLETIN 21 July 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Government plans to invest in rural abattoirs to strengthen disease control in the midst of the foot-and-mouth-disease outbrek
# Young Cape Town soccer players are stranded in Spain
# And Malusi Gigaba and Mmusi Maimane receive their doctorates

# Government plans to invest in rural abattoirs and animal health research to boost disease control and strengthen the livestock economy. Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen made the announcement at the foot-and-mouth disease indaba in Roodeplaat, Pretoria, where he criticised outdated response systems and delays in vaccine production. Steenhuisen said new investments in rural abattoirs and feedlots, especially in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal, will help reduce illegal livestock movements and support enforcement:

# More than 20 Cape Town youth are stranded in Spain after the BT Soccer Academy failed to buy return tickets following their participation in the Donosti Cup. The group left on 6 July and was due back on Wednesday last week. The academy blames delayed visas and lack of government support. Parents paid thousands of rand to send their kids on the trip. With schools reopening in the Western Cape tomorrow, concerned parents await urgent solutions as efforts to repatriate the players continue.

# With only three days to the start of the 2026 Grade One and Eight online admission applications, the Gauteng Department of Education has yet to provide a list of 81 decentralised walk-in centres to assist parents without internet access in registering their children. The DA’s Sergio Isa dos Santos calls on the department to publish a comprehensive list, including operating hours, and ensures that these facilities are operational from the start of the application process.

# Tennis: Veteran American Venus Williams plans to return to the circuit after an absence of 16-months in the DC Open in Washington this week. The 45-year-old winner of seven Grand Slam tournaments received a wildcard for the tournament which is preparation for next month’s US Open in New York. Williams overcame a serious health scare last year. She will play her young compatriot Payton Stearns in the first round. Williams says she just wants to enjoy the moment and not put too much pressure on herself.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 20-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-86-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-512-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-371-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Members of Parliament Malusi Gigaba and Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane today received PhDs in Public Management and Governance from the University of Johannesburg. They are among two-thousand-163 graduates honoured at the Auckland Park Kingsway campus’s winter graduation. The university has praised their dedication to lifelong learning, balancing politics and academics. This year’s cohort includes 194 doctoral candidates.

Stay tuned for more news………….