News 17:00

BULLETIN 14 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC blames the DA-led coalition for Tshwane’s financial crisis
# A fuel price shock is expected in March
# And: The National Press Club names the Springboks as its Newsmaker of the Year 

# The ANC says the City of Tshwane, under the DA-led coalition, is in dire financial straits. The party expresses deep concern over the National Treasury’s plan to cancel a grant for capital projects, citing the coalition’s inability to efficiently utilise funds earmarked for service delivery. The J-S-E is also considering the suspension of the city’s bonds due to the prolonged unavailability of audited financial statements. ANC regional secretary George Matjila demands the resignation of mayor Cilliers Brink and his coalition partners:

# Figures from the Central Energy Fund show South Africans are in for a fuel price shock next month. Due to higher international oil prices the price of both 95- and 93-octane petrol is expected to jump by more than one-rand-30-cents a litre. The price of diesel is expected to increase by between one-rand-40- and one-rand-60-cents a litre. This will contribute further to higher inflation and keep food prices high. The weakening rand is a further blow to lower fuel prices.

# Former DA mayor of Cape Town, Dan Plato says he left the party because of its stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, saying the DA suppresses some members’ pro-Palestine opinions. He became the umpteenth high-profile DA member to leave, announcing he is joining the People’s Movement for Change, led by the ANC’s former Western Cape chairperson, Marius Fransman. Plato also accuses the DA of moving away from its commitment to serve the needs of the poor and vulnerable. The DA thanked him for his years of service.

Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation heads to Cairo for truce talks as displaced Gazans prepare for a potential Israeli assault on their last refuge in Rafah. The meeting with Egyptian and Qatari mediators follows positive discussions between Israeli negotiators, Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns, and Mossad’s David Barnea. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also due in Cairo for talks with president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Urgent appeals have been made to prevent a full-scale ground incursion into Rafah, including the risk of mass civilian casualties and a looming humanitarian disaster.

# The National Press Club has named the Springboks as its Newsmaker of the Year for 2023. Chairperson Antoinette Slabbert says the team’s superlative performance in the World Cup in France triggered a media frenzy. In addition, quality leadership by captain Siya Kolisi led to the Boks lifting the Webb Ellis trophy for a record fourth time. Slabbert says this is the fourth time the Boks have been recognised as Newsmaker of the Year after 1995, ’98 and 2007:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-7-cents and the euro at 20-rand-43-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-96-cents and Bitcoin trades at 51-thousand-747-dollars-12-cents. Gold sells at one-thousand-991-dollars-82-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….