News 16:00

BULLETIN 26 June 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Steinhoff’s former financial head is released on 150-thousand-rand bail
# Solidarity calls for economic focus from the government of national unity
# And Swimming: Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt call for the reform of the World Anti-Doping Agency

# Steinhoff’s former Chief Financial Officer, Ben la Grange, has been released on 150-thousand-rand bail. He appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court following his involvement in the company’s accounting scandal. News24 reports, La Grange, associated with Steinhoff’s late CEO Markus Jooste, faces charges including racketeering, fraud, corruption, and Financial Markets Act violations. La Grange and co-accused Stéhan Grobler will return to court on 4 October.

# The Solidarity Research Institute calls on the government of national unity to prioritise economic growth. Solidarity’s Connie Mulder emphasises the need for the coalition to collaborate in good faith to improve the lives of all South Africans. Mulder told the SABC the coalition’s success will be measured by its commitment to serving the people:

# Future Forex CEO Harry Scherzer says the decrease in employment seen in the latest quarterly figures should provide fresh impetus for the government of national unity signatories to put their differences aside and work together for the good of the country. Scherzer says the fact that the decrease in employment came at a time when load-shedding was improving shows South Africa needs to do more than get the basics right to grow the economy and create jobs.

# SASSA grant beneficiaries in rural Eastern Cape are calling for the return of local pay points. The closure of these pay points has left many without easy access to their grants, forcing them to spend money on travel to nearby towns or rely on relatives to withdraw funds. SASSA closed the pay points due to the declining number of users and to enhance security. Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu says it is engaging with service providers to resolve the issue:

# Swimming: Olympic swimming icon Michael Phelps and four-time gold medallist Allison Schmitt have called for reform of the World Anti-Doping Agency over its handling of the 2021 Chinese swimming drugs scandal. They took aim at Wada over the recent revelations concerning 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for banned prescription heart medication. None of the swimmers were suspended or sanctioned after Wada accepted the explanation of Chinese authorities that the results were caused by food contamination. Phelps and Schmitt say athletes’ trust in the body has been damaged by the scandal.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-18-cents and the euro at 19-rand-44-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-2-cents and Bitcoin trades at 61-thousand-365-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-315-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-68-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….