For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Johannesburg collapse risk spurs call for State to run city; Water committee calls for submissions on Water Bill amendments; And, Congo says number of confirmed Ebola cases rises to 1 155

Johannesburg collapse risk spurs call for State to run city

South Africa’s government may soon need to make the politically fraught decision to take control of Johannesburg to avert the city’s financial collapse, according to a consultant appointed by two of the country’s leading business groups.

While such a move would be difficult for the ANC before crucial local elections in November, it may have little choice but to act, Lael Bethlehem, a partner at Genesis Analytics, said during the presentation of a study commissioned by Business Leadership South Africa and Business For South Africa.

Bethlehem said the City of Johannesburg is essentially bankrupt, with the possibility that government might soon have to implement a takeover plan.

Her presentation came a day before a Friday deadline set by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for the city to explain how it will address financial shortcomings or lose R8-billion in annual State funding, or about a 10th of its budget.

Mayor Dada Morero will respond next week, his spokesperson, Khathu Mulaudzi, said.

Water committee calls for submissions on Water Bill amendments

The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation is calling on stakeholders to provide input into the National Water Amendment Bill, which seeks to amend the National Water Act.

Interested parties have until July 30 to submit written comments, which should include a clear indication of whether the Bill is supported or not and if the stakeholder wants to deliver an oral presentation to the committee.

The proposed amendments include ensuring equitable water allocation and optimising the use of water in support of the guiding principles of the National Water Act and prohibiting undesirable consequences of private water trading.

It also provides for the review period of the National Water Resource Strategy to be increased to ten years; the periodic review of the determination of the class of a water resource and water resource quality objectives; the periodic review of the reserve; for the reallocation of water; and further protection of water source areas and the transfer of water use authorisations.

And, Congo says number of confirmed Ebola cases rises to 1 155

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has increased to 1 155, including 304 deaths, government data showed.

The number represented the total of confirmed cases, according to a situation report that documented 37 new cases and five new deaths in the previous 24 hours.

Health officials said in the report that intensified epidemiological and biological surveillance had enabled earlier detection of cases, confirming continued growth in community transmission on a week-on-week basis.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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