News 17:00

BULLETIN 9 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner’s allegations are referred to three key parliamentary committees
# RISE Mzansi urges president Cyril Ramaphosa to take national security seriously
# And rugby: The Lions stay undefeated in Australia by beating the Brumbies

# National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza has asked three parliamentary committees to urgently investigate allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, including claims of political interference by Police minister Senzo Mchunu. The committees on Police and on Justice and Constitutional Development, and the joint standing committee on Intelligence have been asked to urgently consider the claims, which involve national security concerns. Didiza says it is not appropriate to hold a parliamentary debate on the matter at this stage, as the allegations remain unproven.

# RISE Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi says president Cyril Ramaphosa must show serious commitment to national security. Speaking during the Defence and Military Veterans mudget vote debate, Zibi criticised South Africa’s outdated defence equipment and lack of a clear National Security Strategy. He called for new leadership in the armed forces, citing corruption and mismanagement. Zibi emphasised that the party would only support a larger defence budget if governance improves and a coherent strategy to address modern threats is presented in Parliament.

The EFF has rejected the budget, calling it a betrayal of soldiers and veterans. The EFF’s Carl Niehaus told the National Assembly the 57-billion-rand allocated to Defence and just 878-million-rand for veterans fails national security and dignity. He slammed the crisis at Denel and Armscor, as ministerial promises remain unmet. Niehaus demands the formation of a Defence Summit, strategic overhaul, and a revised 114-billion-rand budget:

# Rugby: The British and Irish Lions are still undefeated on their tour of Australia after beating the Brumbies 36-24 in Canberra. The visitors had a halftime lead of 19-10 and eventually out-scored the hosts by five tries to four. The Brumbies were the only team to beat the Lions during their previous tour in 2013. The Lions’ next match is against a combined Australian-New Zealand side in Adelaide this weekend, and the first Test against the Wallabies will be played in Brisbane next Saturday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-78-cents and the euro at 20-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 109-thousand-635-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-298-dollars-86-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-31-cents a barrel.

# And finally: As South Africa marks Mental Health Awareness Month, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group is calling on workplaces to prioritise employee mental well-being. SADAG’s Tracy Feinstein says addressing mental health openly and reducing stigma must be a collective effort. She told the SABC a work environment that fosters psychological well-being not only increases employee satisfaction but also boosts productivity and creativity:

Stay tuned for more news………….