News 16:00

BULLETIN 18 July 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Tiffany Meek pleads not guilty in her son Jayden-Lee Meek’s murder
# World Rugby says the Boks’ tactics in the second Test against Italy should’ve been penalised
# And the WHO endorses the Lenacapavir HIV prevention injection in a landmark move

# Tiffany Meek has pleaded not guilty to the murder of her eleven-year-old son, Jayden-Lee, at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng. The Grade 5 learner died from blunt force trauma and his body was found bruised at their Fleurhof apartment in Johannesburg. Meek broke down in court as prosecutors detailed the case, and claimed that she’s being framed. The Meek family calls for justice and healing, and urges the public not to target the accused’s relatives. The matter is back in court on Monday.

# AfriForum says it awaits next week’s ruling in the firearm case against EFF leader Julius Malema. He’s due in the East London Regional Court from Monday to Wednesday for allegedly firing a semi-automatic rifle at a 2018 rally. Malema faces multiple charges under the Firearms Control Act. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk says politicians are not untouchable and insists the matter sets an important precedent for accountability:

# Statistics South Africa says there’s been a notable drop in civil debt cases. In the three months ending in May, civil summonses issued for debt fell by 17-percent, while the number of civil judgments recorded dropped by 20-percent compared to the same period last year. Stats SA’s Onica Mushwana says the figures point to a slowdown in debt-related legal action across the country:

# On to sports news: World Rugby says the Springboks should’ve been penalised for their deliberate short kick-off at the start of the second Test against Italy in Gqeberha. Centre André Esterhuizen moved in front of Manie Libbok’s short kick, leading to the hosts forcing a scrum on the halfway-line. World Rugby says the action was an intentional violation of the kick-off and restart laws. Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus earlier reacted to the uproar by saying rugby doesn’t belong to anyone and innovation should be praised and not denounced.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-68-cents and the euro at 20-rand-60-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-80-cents and Bitcoin trades at 119-thousand-212-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-356-dollars-67-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The World Health Organisation has endorsed the twice-yearly injectable, lenacapavir, for HIV prevention. The new guidelines were launched at the International AIDS Society’s 2025 HIV Science Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, says the medication could transform access for at-risk populations facing stigma or adherence challenges. He calls it a long-acting antiretroviral shown to prevent most HIV infections. The WHO pledges to work with countries to ensure rapid, safe rollout of the innovation.

Stay tuned for more news………….