News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A huge hike in fuel prices will come into effect at midnight
# A group of South African civil society organisations is appalled by Donald Trump’s threats
# And cricket: The fourth season of the SA20 starts just after Christmas this year

# The Department of Mineral Resources and Petroleum has confirmed substantial fuel price increases from midnight. Spokesperson Robert Maake says both grades of petrol will increase by 52-cents-per-litre, while diesel rises by between one-rand-one-cent and one-rand-five-cents-per-litre. He confirmed that illuminating paraffin goes up by one-rand-25-cents-per-litre, and the price of LP gas increases by 42-cents-per-kilogram:

# A group of civil society organisations says it is appalled not only at the threats issued by US president Donald Trump against South Africa, but by his dangerous lies. The group includes the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Corruption Watch, Helen Suzman Foundation, the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation. The Campaign for Free Expression’s Nicole Fritz says Trump is trolling South Africa and its leaders:

But the Referendum Party says it is delighted at the international criticism which the ANC’s policies are eliciting. The party’s leader, Phil Craig, says for far too long, the ANC has been able to carry out its nefarious activities under the cover of Nelson Mandela’s international reputation:

# Recent tests have shown fluctuating E. coli levels in the Vaal River, with some areas posing a high risk for stomach illness. A sample near Village Manor recorded 72-thousand-700 counts per 100 millimetres, though lower than last week’s 111-thousand-990. Rand Water has assured residents, however, that the drinking water remains safe as it is sourced from the Vaal Dam, not the river. Blue-green algae levels also vary, highlighting ongoing water quality concerns despite improved Vaal Dam levels at 61.3-percent capacity.

# Cricket: The fourth season of the SA20 will start late in December this year already. The date has been brought forward because the Proteas don’t have any international fixtures during that time. Season 5 will return to the traditional starting time of early January 2027, and feature a bigger rest period between matches and less weekday matches. It will kick off a bumper year for the local game, with the men’s World Cup taking place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 19-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-703-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-816-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-95-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….