News 16:00

BULLETIN 10 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Enyobeni Tavern owners are found liable for the tragedy that claimed 21 lives
# Minister Godongwana urges municipalities to diversify their revenue sources
# And boxing: The WBC Africa heavyweight title tops the Johannesburg fight card

# The Mdantsane Regional Court in the Eastern Cape has found former Enyobeni Tavern owners Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu legally liable for the 2022 tragedy that claimed the lives of 21 teenagers. The court ruled the owners failed to enforce liquor laws. It says the inquest heard months of evidence from survivors, investigators and forensic experts into one of South Africa’s deadliest tavern disasters. The finding paves the way for the National Prosecuting Authority to pursue formal criminal prosecution against the owners.

# Former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi and suspended human resources head Linda Gxasheka have each been granted 50-thousand-rand bail by the Germiston Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng. They face charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice on the blue lights saga, alleged protection of suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, and approving of unlawful salary increases. Magistrate Trevor Classen postponed the case to 28 August:

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says many municipalities have become overly reliant on electricity sales as a source of revenue, despite declining electricity consumption. He briefed the media following the National Treasury’s temporarily suspension of funding to 69 municipalities due to mismanagement. Godongwana says dependence on electricity sales is no longer sustainable and municipalities must strengthen revenue collection and improve financial management to ensure long-term financial stability and service delivery:

# The Automotive Business Council, Naamsa, has defended the Automotive Production and Development Programme against calls for it to be scrapped. The industry body says the programme is an investment in South Africa’s industrial economy, not a subsidy for manufacturers. It says the programme generated about 137-billion-rand in local value addition and supported more than 270-billion-rand in automotive exports during 2025. Naamsa argues the industry’s economic benefits far outweigh the cost of government incentives.

# Boxing: The vacant WBC Africa Heavyweight Championship is headlining Golden Gloves’ Magic at the Palace tournament in Johannesburg. Heavyweights José Kadima and Herbert Matovu will battle over ten rounds for the prestigious continental title. Fight Week officially began with the mandatory medicals and press conference, where fighters faced off ahead of the event. The co-main bout features Juan “Ife” Alberts against Jack Mulowayi, while the undercard showcases South Africa’s rising boxing stars and championship contenders.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-31-cents and the euro at 18-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-467-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-104-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….