News 12:00

BULLETIN 24 February 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The evacuation of wounded SANDF soldiers from the DRC is to begin this week
# Ramaphosa says disagreement within the government of national unity is expected
# And rugby: The Blitzboks’ coach is happy with their second place in Vancouver

# The evacuation of wounded South African National Defence Force soldiers from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is set to begin this week. There are nearly 190 wounded and sick South African soldiers in the DRC, of whom at least five are seriously injured and two are pregnant. The soldiers were wounded while fighting the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels last month. Wounded soldiers from Tanzania and Malawi will also be evacuated, in an operation that will be led by the United Nations.

# The DA is calling for the completion of the reassessment of the 2015 Defence Review, based on an assessment of the type and size of Defence Force that South Africa needs. The South African National Defence Force’s last strategic review was over a decade ago. The DA’s Chris Hattingh says the SANDF is now burdened with an ageing personnel corps, outdated and poorly maintained equipment, as well as severe mismanagement compounded by corruption:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says disagreements, contradictions and policy divergence are inherent in governments made up of several political parties. This follows last week’s postponement of the budget speech, over disagreements within the government of national unity on proposed tax increases. In his weekly newsletter, the president says such differences don’t mean that government is in crisis, but that democracy is working. Ramaphosa says it is essential that the concerns raised by different parties around the budget are properly addressed, in the interests of accountability, transparency and consensus-building. 

# Rugby: Springbok Sevens coach, Philip Snyman, says overall they achieved their objectives despite finishing second in Vancouver, Canada. South Africa lost 19-12 to Argentina in the final, with the Pumas claiming their fourth consecutive title in the tournament. The Blitzboks are still in contention for the World Sevens Series title with two rounds left. Snyman says they lost the final but gained in many other areas, including expanding player depth:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-42-cents and the euro at 19-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-628-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-941-dollars-41-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-85-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The United States Postal Service is honouring the late actress and comedienne, Betty White, with a new commemorative Forever stamp. During her long career of over 60 years, White won eight Emmys, three SAG Awards, a Grammy, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The service says the stamp features a digitally created portrait of White, wearing a polka-dotted blue top, against a violet background with bubbly spots that befit her sparkling personality. She died in 2021, aged 99. The stamp will be available next month.

Stay tuned for more news………….