News 09:00

BULLETIN 6 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The security structures are confident that SONA will be peaceful
# Trump bans transgender women in female sports
# And tennis: Daniil Medvedev is knocked out of the Rotterdam Open

# The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure says it is confident that all necessary security deployments and plans are in place to guarantee a peaceful, safe, and secure State of the Nation Address. President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to deliver the address in Cape Town this evening. National police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, says no disruptions will be allowed and tolerated by law enforcement:

Meanwhile, the Congress of the People says it approaches the State of the Nation Address with deep concern, as the government continues to drive South Africa into economic and social ruin. COPE’s, Pakes Dikgetsi, says year after year, SONA has become a stage for grand speeches, empty promises, and false hope, while the reality on the ground worsens for millions of citizens:

# Gauteng’s Provincial Government has announced the addition of 309 new classrooms to accommodate ten-thousand-506 learners in 2025. MEC for Infrastructure Development Jacob Mamabolo revealed that 58 refurbished classrooms will also serve one-thousand-972 learners. The initiative, part of the Rehabilitation and Refurbishment programme, aims to eradicate overcrowding, improve learning conditions, and eliminate asbestos structures. Projects include new schools in Soweto, Mamelodi, and Sedibeng. The department says it remains committed to addressing Gauteng’s growing demand for quality education infrastructure.

# US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in female categories of sports. The order empowers the Department of Education to investigate how schools implement Title IX, a US law that bans sex discrimination in federally funded education programmes. It also rolls back the Biden administration’s guidance on a civil rights law, that prevents sex-based discrimination in education programmes and activities that receive federal funding. Trump says the war on women’s sports is over:

# Tennis: Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci stunned former world number one Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to reach the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open in the Netherlands. The 23-year-old defeated the 2023 champion, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, to record his first career win over a top-ten opponent. Meanwhile, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz received a walkover to the quarterfinals after Czech’s Jiri Lehecka retired from the match injured. Hurkacz was leading 7-5, 2-0. Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Holger Rune are all in action today.

# 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-662-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-868-dollars-74-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-48-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….