News 15:00

BULLETIN 5 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MultiChoice board deems Canal Plus’s offer too low for further engagement 
# The DA in the Western Cape calls for disaster assistance for the Central Karoo 
# And Soccer: FIFA announces the details for the 2026 World Cup

# The parent company of DStv, MultiChoice, has rejected French entertainment giant Canal Plus’s buyout offer of 105-rand per share, citing significant undervaluation. News24 reports Africa’s largest pay-TV company states recent evaluations place its value well above the offer price. While expressing openness to maximising shareholder value, the board conveyed that the proposed price does not warrant further engagement. Canal Plus has increased its stake in MultiChoice to over 35-percent, surpassing the threshold for a mandatory offer. Despite the rejection, MultiChoice shares have seen a 19-percent surge since the bid announcement.

# The DA in the Western Cape is urging the provincial government to send disaster assistance to the Central Karoo Municipality. The municipality was devastated by the impact of the gale-force winds and heavy rains on Saturday, that damaged the Laingsburg/Touwsrivier 132 kilovolt power lines. Areas including Laingsburg, Merweville, and Prince Albert, have been affected. The DA’s, Deidré Baartman, says Eskom needs to ensure speedy restoration of electricity, considering the possible damage and spoilage to resident’s food supplies:

# The leader of Namibia’s official opposition, the Popular Democratic Movement, Mchenry Venaani, has expressed profound sorrow over the passing of president Hage Geingob. Venaani lauded Geingob as a pillar of strength, an adept negotiator, and a beacon of unwavering leadership during challenging periods. Venaani stated that Geingob’s demise is a significant loss not only to Namibia but to the entire African continent. Geingob passed away yesterday morning at Lady Pohamba Hospital while under the care of his medical team:

# Soccer: The opening match of the 2026 World Cup will take place at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on 11 June, marking the stadium’s third time hosting the event. World governing body FIFA has unveiled details about the tournament that will take place in Canada, the United States and Mexico. FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced the final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July. He says the tournament will feature 104 games across 16 sites over 39 days:

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-94-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-110-dollars-49-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-25-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-81-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for Midnights at the 66th Grammy Awards, making her the first performer ever to win the award four times. She also walked away with the Best Pop Vocal Album award. SZA, who was the leading nominee with nine nods, won two including Best R&B Song for Snooza. Miley Cyrus scored her first pair of Grammys winning Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year for Flowers. Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for her Barbie soundtrack hit What Was I Made For.

Stay tuned for more news………….