News 17:00

BULLETIN 7 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# China backs South Africa’s G20 leadership amid the US’s boycott threats
# OUTA questions government’s recovery of the stolen state capture billions
# And cricket: Ngidi and Shamsi are included in the Proteas’ squad for Monday’s match against New Zealand

# China has endorsed South Africa’s G20 presidency, reaffirming global cooperation despite US secretary of State Marco Rubio’s boycott threats. The support is said to bolsters Pretoria’s leadership as debates arise over South Africa’s diplomatic ties with BRICS nations, including China and Russia. Analysts say China’s backing seeks to encourage emerging economies to shape global policies as South Africa’s presidency marks a pivotal moment in global diplomacy.

Meanwhile, AfriForum has accused ANC leaders of causing US president Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding to South Africa. It claims that Trump’s concerns over property rights and minority treatment stem from the ANC’s Expropriation Act and BELA legislation. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk argues that the ANC’s anti-Western foreign policies further worsened relations, urging amendments to laws threatening property and cultural rights:

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says the government’s claim of recovering ten-billion-rand from state capture cases is misleading, as it is only a fraction of the estimated 500-billion-rand lost to corruption. The organisation criticised the slow progress in prosecuting those responsible for the corruption and the failure to implement stronger whistleblower protections. OUTA’s Stefanie Fick says without real action, corruption will continue to thrive while taxpayers bear the burden:

# The South African Social Security Agency is urging social grant beneficiaries to replace their SASSA Gold Cards with Postbank Black Cards by 28 February. After this date, the Gold Cards will be deactivated, preventing withdrawals and transactions. The replacement process began in September 2024, with thousands already switching. Beneficiaries can collect their Black Cards at selected retailers nationwide using a valid South African ID. The agency says the new cards will offer the same benefits, work immediately, and feature enhanced security.

 # Cricket: Proteas’ white-ball coach, Rob Walter, included experienced players Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi in the squad who will face New Zealand in Pakistan in the first match of a tri-nations one-day series on Monday. Six debutans were named earlier, while several big names were omitted before the Champions Trophy, starting in Pakistan on the 19th. The squad for the remainder of the tri-nations series will be announced on Sunday, after tomorrow’s final of the SA20 between MI Cape Town and Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-42-cents and the euro at 19-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-669-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-861-dollars-36-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-62-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….