News 18:00

BULLETIN 14 July 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Naamsa warns American tariffs could turn industrial hubs into ghost towns
# A new survey shows trust in police has collapsed to historic lows
# And Chinese swimmers topped global doping tests during the Singapore championships

# The automotive business council Naamsa says the new 30-percent US tariffs on South African vehicle exports could turn key industrial hubs like East London in the Eastern Cape into ghost towns. The industry body welcomes the government’s ongoing diplomatic efforts and has proposed a duty-free quota of 40-thousand vehicles per year to help safeguard the US export market. Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa has urged both governments to accelerate trade negotiations to prevent long-term damage to the manufacturing industry.

# Union federation Saftu’s general-secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, says the National Prosecuting Authority has every right to pursue charges against ministers accused of misleading Parliament. His stance comes despite the commission of inquiry starting in August following allegations against minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, who was placed on special leave. Vavi told Newzroom Afrika there was prima facie evidence, and believes president Cyril Ramaphosa should have suspended implicated ministers since special leave is not strong enough:

According to the latest Human Sciences Research Council survey, public trust in the South African Police Service has dropped to its lowest level in 27-years. The South African social attitudes survey shows that only 22-percent of adults trust the police, while distrust has risen to 62-percent. Trust has steadily declined since 2011, with sharp drops after the Marikana massacre, the 2021 July unrest, and growing corruption claims. All provinces now report trust levels below 30-percent, with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal the lowest at just 18-percent.

# The KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements Department has confirmed the 33-million-rand purchase of Montclair Lodge from Transnet to house flood victims. MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, says the 268-room facility with 600-bed capacity will be refurbished at a cost of 35-million-rand, with occupancy expected by December or January 2026. He confirmed that an engineer will assess the property by end-July while the Housing Development Agency will manage the facility:

# Swimming: A report by the Aquatics Integrity Unit indicates that Chinese swimmers have undergone more anti-doping tests than any other nation at the current World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Since 1 January, Chinese swimmers averaged 8.8 tests each, compared to 4.1 for US swimmers and 2.2 for Britain. Neutrals from mainly Russia averaged 8.2. Over four-thousand tests have been conducted so far. The testing follows scrutiny of China’s team after doping revelations in 2021. Testing will continue throughout the event until 22 August.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-88-cents and the euro at 20-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 121-thousand-653-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-345-dollars-53-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-50-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….