News 16:00

BULLETIN 15 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Western Cape has been declared a disaster area after the extreme weather
# The ATM submits affidavits detailing various irregularities during the elections
# And, tennis: Krejcikova shoots up 22 positions in the world rankings after winning Wimbledon  

# The Western Cape has been declared a disaster area following severe weather last week. Premier Alan Winde and Co-operative Governance minister Velenkosini Hlabisa made the declaration in Cape Town. The cost of damage is still pending. Hlabisa stated efforts should be directed at mitigating the impact of climate change. He says the government of national unity will prioritise residents in low-lying areas:

# The ATM says it has heeded the call of the Electoral Court and have submitted affidavits detailing various irregularities, discrepancies, and international malicious actions that occurred during this year’s elections. The ATM’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshona, says the party’s affidavits touch on a range of issues, including the accuracy and inconsistency of the voters’ roll, discrepancies affecting ballot boxes, issues related to vote counting and misconduct of Electoral Commission officials:

# Zero Carbon Charge has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to prioritise the transition to electric vehicles in his opening of Parliament address. Co-founder Andries Malherbe calls for incentives, including reversing the 10-percent import duty on solar panels. The organisation highlights the success of electric vehicle uptake in countries like Thailand, India, and Brazil and suggests a six-year tax holiday on electric vehicle imports to boost affordability. Zero Carbon Charge is developing 120 solar-powered charging stations, promising economic opportunities and job creation in rural areas.

# ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has asked National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza that Parliament investigatse the Lily Mine tragedy of February 2016. He says more than eight years after the tragedy occurred, the families of Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyirenda are not one step closer to closure, as they have been repeatedly let down by Mineral and Petroleum Resources minister Gwede Mantashe, the National Prosecuting Authority and mine owners:

# Tennis: Newly-crowned Wimbledon women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova shot up 22 places in the latest world rankings. The Czech is now in tenth position. Jasmine Paolini of Italy, who lost in the final, improved from seventh to fifth position. Iga Swiatek of Poland is still number one, followed by American Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Jessica Pegula of America is sixth, followed by China’s Qinwen Zheng, Maria Sakkari of Greece and another American, Danielle Collins.

# And, the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-20-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-552-dollars-93-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-419-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 84-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….