News 17:00
BULLETIN 20 June 5 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Chief Justice Maya calls for continued commitment to constitutionalism and judicial independence
# Extortion has evolved into a serious economic and security crisis in the Western Cape
# And motorsport: The South African Formula One bid committee nears a promoter decision
# Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has urged South Africans to remain committed to upholding the Constitution and protecting the independence of the judiciary. Speaking at the Constitutional Court’s 30th anniversary in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, she said the court, founded in 1995 by the late former president Nelson Mandela, continues to safeguard the rights and dignity of all citizens. Maya warns the rule of law must be upheld, and courts kept free from political interference:
# Western Cape premier Alan Winde says extortion has delayed 400-million-rand in public infrastructure projects across the province. A high-level Anti-Extortion Summit was held in Cape Town earlier this week. Winde says extortion syndicates are paralysing infrastructure projects, intimidating communities, and undermining job creation. MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, says extortion has evolved into a serious economic and security crisis, threatening livelihoods, delaying service delivery, and destabilising entire sectors.
# Minister of Social Development, Sisisi Tolashe, is calling for nominations to appoint new members to the Central Drug Authority. Nominations close on 30 June. The authority advises the government on strategies to combat substance abuse and oversees the national drug master plan. The department’s Bathembu Futshane says nominees must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and have five-years’ experience in fields like treatment, prevention, or law enforcement:
# Motorsport: The South African Formula One bid committee will soon submit its report to the minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, on a preferred promoter for the proposed Grand Prix. The world governing body, the F-I-A, approved Kyalami in Johannesburg as a Grade 1 circuit, the top standard for Formula One. Spokesperson Mlimandlela Ndamase says Kyalami’s privately-funded upgrades mark a key milestone:
# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-96-cents and the euro at 20-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-and-19-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-353-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-14-cents a barrel.
# And finally: The world’s best men’s tennis player, Jannik Sinner of Italy, has joined forces with his world-renowned compatriot, tenor Andrea Bocelli. They released a single with the name Polvere e Gloria, meaning Dust and Glory, in which Bocelli sings and Sinner contributes parts of his winning and losing speeches on court. The song has Italian and English lyrics. The accompanying video shows the two champions recording the song at Bocelli’s studio in Tuscany, and images from their childhoods. Sinner describes the experience as a big honour.
Stay tuned for more news………….