News 13:00

BULLETIN 5 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD Party says president Cyril Ramaphosa must address government’s statement of intent priorities
# ActionSA calls for a debate on the crisis over unemployed doctors
# And soccer: A former England international warns Ruben Amorim about his handling of the Marcus Rashford situation

# The GOOD Party says president Cyril Ramaphosa must explain in his state of the nation address how government intends to implement the priorities that are contained in the statement of intent. Ramaphosa will deliver his address in Cape Town tomorrow night. GOOD’s secretary general, Brett Herron, says over the past few months, the government of national unity has been overlaid with ideological fissures, squabbles and threats of withdrawal over legislation passed by the previous government:

Meanwhile, Consulting Engineers South Africa is urging Ramaphosa to deliver actionable commitments on infrastructure projects during his state of the nation address. CEO Chris Campbell emphasises the urgent need for municipal-level infrastructure solutions, citing water leaks and illegal utility connections as critical issues. Campbell says the sector is ready to partner with government for technical expertise, mentorship, and youth employment opportunities in engineering.

# ActionSA has requested an urgent parliamentary debate on the crisis of thousands of unemployed medical professionals despite South Africa’s severe public healthcare staff shortages. The party highlights a 22-percent vacancy rate for funded doctor posts, particularly in the Free State and Mpumalanga. ActionSA’s Matthew George calls for the safeguarding of the healthcare system:

 # Soccer: Former England international Paul Merson warned Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim his job could be on the line over the way he handled the Marcus Rashford situation. The forward, who has played 60 matches for England and 287 for United, just moved on loan to Aston Villa after Amorim refused to pick him since middle December, complaining about his lack of effort. Merson says should Rashford rediscover his form at Villa and United continue to struggle, Amorim could be forced to explain his actions to his bosses.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-61-cents and the euro at 19-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-871-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-870-dollars-45-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

# And finally: United Kingdom banking giant Standard Chartered has appointed South African banking veteran Maria Ramos as its new chairperson, replacing José Vinals. Ramos, who joined the bank’s board as an independent non-executive director in 2021, will assume the role after the annual meeting on 8 May, pending regulatory approval. She previously served as Absa CEO and as director-general at the Ministry of Finance under the late former president Nelson Mandela. Ramos will relocate to London and step down from her board role at Richemont.

Stay tuned for more news………….