News 14:00

BULLETIN 14 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Valentine’s Day spending is expected to increase by double digits this year
# The Red Cross is very concerned about hostages still held by Hamas
# And rugby: The Boks start the season with an alignment camp in Cape Town

# FNB expects Valentine’s Day spending to increase by double digits again this year. This follows an 11-percent year-on-year rise in 2024. Spending on chocolates, flowers, gifts, and jewellery saw significant increases, with a 60-percent spike in chocolate purchases and 83-percent in flowers in the week of Valentine’s Day. FNB’s Ashley Saffy encourages responsible spending, secure transactions, and the use of virtual cards for enhanced safety when making these purchases:

# The City of Tshwane has launched a campaign to tackle urban decay in its central business district. Led by mayoral committee member for Corporate and Shared Services, Kholofelo Morodi, the mayoral sub-committee plans to enforce by-laws, compile a database of derelict buildings, and repurpose unsafe structures into business hubs and housing. She says property owners face strict compliance measures as the city aims for rapid transformation.

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has urged residents to stop illegal water connections and cut consumption as the city grapples with water shortages. Addressing the media, Morero announced plans to dig boreholes at schools, hospitals, and informal settlements. He emphasised that these interventions are set to begin by the end of the financial year to alleviate the crisis and ensure sustainable water access:

# The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has facilitated the hostage-prisoner swaps between Israel and Hamas, is very concerned about the condition of the remaining captives held in Gaza. During the exchange on 8 February, Hamas forced three hostages to thank their captors in front of crowds gathered to witness their release. Their emaciated appearance shocked their families and prompted the Red Cross to call on Hamas to ensure subsequent swaps are more private and dignified. The next hostage-prisoner swap is scheduled for tomorrow.

# Rugby: The Springboks start the new season when Rassie Erasmus and his management team host the first in-person coaches’ strategic session of the year and a three-day alignment camp with a group of 56 domestic players in Cape Town from 7 March. The group includes 18 members of the 2023 World Cup-winning squad, 10 of which were also crowned champions at the 2019 World Cup, and five of whom participated in the 2015 global event. Jurenzo Julius, JF van Heerden, and Reinhardt Ludwig will get their first taste of Springbok rugby.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-37-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-12-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-161-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-935-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….