News 15:00

BULLETIN 29 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa mourns the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in the DRC conflict
# TLU SA calls on Ramaphosa to prioritise practical solutions in his state of the nation address
# And soccer: Scholes says Rashford should be banished from Manchester United’s dressing room

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deepest condolences following the deaths of 13 South African National Defence Force soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The soldiers were part of the peacekeeping mission. Ramaphosa honoured their sacrifice and reiterated that South Africa’s military presence is not a declaration of war on any country, but part of peacekeeping efforts. He calls for an immediate end to hostilities and urges all parties to engage in peace talks to ensure stability in the region.

# The agriculture organisation, TLU SA is calling on Ramaphosa to prioritise practical solutions in his state of the nation address in Cape Town next week Thursday. Spokesperson Bennie van Zyl says Ramaphosa must demonstrate the courage to act as a true statesman and address the issues crippling the country head-on. He says South Africa urgently needs corrective action, not for politics, but for progress:

Meanwhile, the Bureau for Food and Agriculture Policy says South Africa’s agriculture sector is expected to grow by three-percent in 2025. Speaking at the Nedbank Agriculture Roundtable the bureau’s executive director, Tracy Davids, cited improved rainfall, stable electricity, and increased plantings as key factors. However, experts point out various challenges, including extreme weather, infrastructure issues, trade barriers, and global market volatility. Despite risks, experts say the sector remains a key economic driver, with exports expected to surpass 262-billion-rand.

# The DA says it could take 25-years to clear Gauteng’s title deeds backlog, leaving thousands of residents in limbo. The party claims the provincial Department of Human Settlements has issued only 32-thousand title deeds in the past five-years, despite a backlog of 178-thousand. The DA’s Mervyn Cirota says title deeds are crucial for homeownership security and has vowed to push for urgent action:

# Soccer: Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes says out-of-favour Marcus Rashford has let his teammates down and should be banished from the dressing room. The England forward has not played for United since 12 December, with manager Ruben Amorim leaving him out of the squad for every game since apart from one, in which he was an unused substitute. Amorim suggested on Sunday he would rather have 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital in his squad than the 27-year-old forward, citing a perceived lack of effort.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-66-cents and the euro at 19-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-470-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-758-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-75-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….