News 07:00

BULLETIN 14 February 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa says the 14 SANDF soldiers died in pursuit of peace
# Sakeliga concerned by minister Steenhuisen making BEE compulsory in the agricultural sector
# And, South Africa ranks 11th in the global love life satisfaction survey

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the 14 South African National Defence Force soldiers, who lost their lives in combat in the Democratic Republic of Congo, died in pursuit of peace and and in the cause of silencing the guns in Africa. He officiated the handover of the mortal remains of the soldiers to their families at the Air Force Military Base in Pretoria on Thursday evening. Ramaphosa says South Africa remains firmly committed to supporting all processes to bring this terrible conflict to an end:

Meanwhile, the South African National Defence Force chief, general Rudzani Maphwanya, has slammed those who have questioned the deployment of soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was also speaking at the memorial service for the 14 SANDF soldiers. Maphwanya says a nation in mourning must not throw accusations on the deployment of the soldiers:

# Business organisation, Sakeliga says Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen’s expanding black economic empowerment in the agricultural sector is harmful. The minister is upholding AgriBEE, which is the department’s officially adopted policy to make BEE compulsory in agriculture. He is also establishing several transformation funds, directly under AgriBEE. Sakeliga says this all adds significant risk to South Africa’s already strained international trade relations. It adds that it is consulting with its legal team on appropriate next steps.

# The EFF in Gauteng has condemned the ongoing water crisis in parts of the City of Johannesburg, saying this is a direct result of decades of incompetence, corruption, and neglect by different administrations. According to Johannesburg Water, outages are a result of overconsumption and power outages at the Emfuleni Municipality, thus disrupting pumping to Rand Water’s Forest Hill and Eikenhof systems. The EFF’s, Dumisani Baleni, says the impact of this water crisis has been devastating, affecting service delivery:

# Rugby: Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White hopes to face the touring British and Irish Lions this year after he was denied the opportunity 12 years ago. He was seen as one of Australia’s rising starts in 2013 but sustained a serious shoulder injury that left him on the sidelines. White says he feels the stars might be aligning for him this time. The Lions beat the Wallabies 2-1 in 2013 and are the favourite again this year after unimpressive displays by Australia in recent years.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-47-cents and the euro at 19-rand-32-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-757-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-926-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

# And finally, according to the latest Ipsos love life satisfaction study, South Africans are among the happiest in love, ranking eleventh globally. The survey of 30 countries shows 80-percent feel loved, and 87-percent of couples are happy in their relationships. South Africans also report higher romantic satisfaction than many European countries. Ipsos’ Robyn Williams says the findings highlight a strong culture of love and connection, making South Africa a romantic hotspot this Valentine’s Day.

Stay tuned for more news………….