News 17:00

BULLETIN 16 July 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party threatens a legal showdown and mass protests if president Cyril Ramaphosa stays in office
# The EFF supports the formation of a parliamentery ad hoc committee regarding Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations
# And cricket: England is docked two points and is fined for their slow over rate at Lord’s

# The MK Party says it will pursue constitutional litigation and organise nationwide protests if president Cyril Ramaphosa stays in power. The party argues Ramaphosa’s continued presence in office goes against the will of voters and undermines democracy. It plans to file a no-confidence motion in Parliament. MK’s Nhlamulo Ndhlela says the current administration is a betrayal of democracy and a threat to South Africa’s future:

# The EFF has agreed to the formation of a parliamentary ad hoc committee, demanding accountability and oversight. Addressing a joint Police and Justice portfolio committee meeting, the EFF’s Mathibe Mohlala, said the party supports probing KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s allegations of political interference in crime prevention efforts. She however warned against past ad hock committee failures and criticised the exclusion of the joint standing committee on Intelligence:

# Statistics South Africa says mining production rose slightly by 0.2-percent year-on-year in May, driven mainly by a strong performance in iron ore, rising by 12.5-percent. However, output from coal and manganese declined. Mineral sales at current prices jumped by 19-percent year-on-year, driven mainly by a sharp rise in gold sales. Stats SA’s Juan-Pierre Terblanche says sales increased by six-percent from April and showed a four-percent increase over the last three months:

# The Department of Employment and Labour says all designated employers must prepare and implement employment equity plans from next month to August 2030. This follows the conclusion of national workshops aimed at guiding employers on how to comply with the amended Employment Equity Act. Small businesses with less than 50 workers don’t have to send reports anymore. The department’s Teboho Thejane says the focus is on fair hiring, not quotas.

# Cricket: England was docked two World Test Championship points and fined 10-percent of its match fee for a slow over rate during the victory over India in the third Test at Lord’s. The International Cricket Council says captain Ben Stokes pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction, leading to England slipping from second to third in the new cycle of the championship behind Australia and Sri Lanka. England leads the five-match Test series against India 2-1, with the penultimate Test starting at Old Trafford next Wednesday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-90-cents and the euro at 20-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-97-cents and Bitcoin trades at 118-thousand-774-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-337-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-44-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….