News 06:00

BULLETIN 28 January 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says there was a positive sentiment towards South Africa at the World Economic Forum
# TimesLive apologises to minister MacPherson
# And the National Coloured Congress lays charges of defeating the ends of justice against Helen Zille

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says there was much-improved sentiment towards South Africa and the economic prospects in the years ahead at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Last week, the president led a delegation to the forum, where the state of the global economy was discussed. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says business leaders welcomed the formation of the government of national unity. He says they saw this as a sign of stability and a common commitment among parties to inclusive growth, employment, and a capable state.

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson urges journalists to carefully scrutinise the information they publish, especially in the fight against corruption within his department. His call comes after TimesLive issued a retraction and apology for an opinion piece by Onkgopotse JJ Tabane, which falsely accused the minister of bribing a journalist to write negative stories about the Independent Development Trust. Macpherson is also considering legal action against Tabane for the unfounded accusations:

# The National Coloured Congress has laid charges against DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille for allegedly defeating the ends of justice. This comes after Zille said she had been aware in advance of the raid at the offices of Cape Town mayoral committee members JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg last Friday. The raid was allegedly part of the Hawks’ investigation into dodgy housing tenders worth one-billion-rand. National Coloured Congress leader, Fadiel Adams, says Zille has a case to answer:

# The DA Gauteng Education spokesperson, Sergio Isa dos Santos, will conduct an oversight inspection at Laerskool Danie Malan in Tshwane. This follows reports of disruptions, including tyre burning, creating a hazardous environment. Dos Santos will be joined by Pretoria North Head of Constituency, Bronwynn Engelbrecht, and DA ward councillor, Quentin Meyer. Dos Santos has condemned these actions hindering education and will vow to engage with school management and the public to identify causes and propose solutions.

# Former International Relations minister, Naledi Pandor, has urged for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the deaths of nine South African soldiers in Goma last week. Speaking to the SABC News on the sidelines at the African Women in Dialogue conference in Johannesburg, she emphasised the importance of peace and security for Africa’s development:

# Rugby: Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has added five players to his injury-hit squad ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Italy at Murrayfield, including Australia-born loose forward Alexander Masibaka. France-based Masibaka replaces Josh Bayliss, who suffered a groin injury. The 23-year-old former Western Force player qualifies for Scotland through his Scottish-born mother. Two locks, Cameron Henderson and Ewan Johnson, have also been called up alongside Glasgow’s uncapped Euan Ferrie, who can play lock or in the back row, and Glasgow full-back Ollie Smith.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-75-cents and the euro at 19-rand-56-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-36-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-64-dollar-60-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-741-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-5-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….