News 08:00

BULLETIN 6 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The IFP expects Ramaphosa to provide a roadmap for the country
# The Rea Vaya bus service is back on Johannesburg’s roads
# And Argentina says it will pull out of the World Health Organisation

# The IFP says president Cyril Ramaphosa needs to provide a comprehensive outline of the government’s plans to address the country’s pressing challenges. The president will deliver the State of the Nation Address in Cape Town tonight. The IFP says it expects Ramaphosa to delve into the Medium Term Development Plan as the agreed-upon minimum programme of the government of national unity. It adds that it also expects the president to provide a roadmap for strengthening institutions, combating corruption, and promoting good governance.

Meanwhile, the GOOD Party says Ramaphosa needs to reveal how his government intends to address poverty. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says the country cannot have a government that ignores its own National Treasury’s concession, that there are 18-million South Africans who live below the food poverty line:

# The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Transport says the Rea Vaya bus services have resumed after being temporarily suspended on Tuesday morning. The suspension of services followed the killing of two bus drivers in Soweto on Monday night. The metro’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says they have received a detailed safety and security plan from the Safety and Security Forum. He says the plan details the escort of Rea Vaya busses and passengers along the bus routes from the depots to final destinations and back:

# Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has announced that his country will withdraw from the World Health Organisation, saying citizens will not allow an international organisation to intervene in their sovereignty, much less in their health. He has attributed his decision to the WHO’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a lack of independence in the face of the political influence of some states. Milei mirrors a similar move by president Donald Trump, who withdrew the US from WHO last month.

# Cricket: Defending champions the Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s bid for an unprecedented third SA20 title remains on track. They beat the Joburg Super Kings by 32 runs in their eliminator in Centurion. Captain Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten 62 as the Sunrisers posted 184 for six. In reply, the Super Kings finished on 152 for seven. The Sunrisers will meet the Paarl Royals in the second qualifier today for a place in the final against MI Cape Town. Markram says they put on a near-complete performance:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-56-cents and the euro at 19-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-219-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-865-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….