News 16:00

BULLETIN 29 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mcebisi Jonas urges South Africa to seize global opportunities amid shifting geopolitics
# The case against Tiffany Meek is postponed to September
# And swimming: Pieter Coetzé wins gold at the World Aquatics Championship

# South Africa’s US envoy, Mcebisi Jonas, says the country must expand trade markets ahead of US president Donald Trump’s expected announcement on tariffs and African Growth and Opportunity Act on Friday. Jonas told delegates at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation seminar in Sandton, Johannesburg, that US ties remain crucial. He urged Africa to lead globally, despite rising debt and trade threats, highlighting the continent’s need for stronger regional integration and global partnerships:

# The case against Gauteng woman Tiffany Meek, accused of killing her young son, Jaden-Lee, had been postponed to 17 September. Speaking outside the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court, the National Prosecuting Authority’s regional spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, welcomed the court’s decision to deny Meek bail. She also faces charges of defeating the ends of justice, obstruction, and crimen injuria. Mjonondwane says Meek was dishonest and may interfere with witnesses. She expressed confidence in a successful prosecution:

# The Freedom Front Plus is calling on Gauteng premier, Panyaza Lesufi, to urgently intervene in rural safety following the latest murders on smallholdings in the north of Pretoria. In the latest incident, a 46-year-old man was murdered on his smallholding in Kameeldrift East yesterday. The FF Plus’ Jaco Mulder says this occurred shortly after the murder of Mossie Mostert on his property in the Buffelsdrift Conservation Area:

# Deputy minister for Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa has called on the logistics sector to drive transformation and uplift marginalised communities. Speaking at the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency’s Inaugural Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Conference in Gqeberha, Hlengwa noted a drop in black-owned transport businesses from 48.6-percent in 2019 to 38.8-percent in 2022. He urged more public-private partnerships and praised the agency’s new incubation programme to support women, youth, and people with disabilities. Hlengwa also encouraged young South Africans to seize opportunities in the transport and logistics industry.

# Swimming: The pride of Pretoria, 21-year-old Pieter Coetzé, won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championship in Singapore. He also set a new African record. The follows after Coetzé won the gold medal at the World Student Games in Berlin last week.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-96-cents and the euro at 20-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-614-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-321-dollars-1-cent a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….