News 07:00

BULLETIN 22 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The leader of Change Starts Now says South Africa needs a government that can deliver services
# A new poll shows Donald Trump will win the New Hampshire primary
# And soccer, Bafana Bafana beat Namibia to keep their hopes alive of making the Afcon knockout stages

# The Change Starts Now leader Roger Jardine says South Africans need a government that can deliver services in their communities across the country as they prepare for this year’s elections. Jardine says the party will fix the economy and create more jobs, make the country a safer place to live in, provide a safety net for those without income security, and ensure decent basic services such as health, education, water, power, and sanitation. According to Jardine, citizens need a new government that shows care, empathy, and a deep connection with people’s daily struggles:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Basic Education will be visiting schools in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and North West this week. The focus of the committee’s provincial visit will include assessing infrastructure at schools, pit-latrines eradication in the Eastern Cape, and flood-damaged schools in KwaZulu-Natal. The committee members will also assess the delivery of learner-teacher study material; nutrition; learner transport; and special school support. They will also meet with stakeholders to discuss the state of schooling this year.

# The Freedom Front Plus considers the sudden closure of Tsitsikamma Primary School in the Eastern Cape, displacing current learners for a new high school, as disruptive and disgraceful. The party opposes the short notice and links events to its resistance against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. The FF Plus’s Jaco Burger says this abrupt closure highlights the government’s failure in education infrastructure investment. Burger contends that primary school years set the foundation for later education:

# Former president Donald Trump appears to be the favourite to win the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary tomorrow, following his convincing win in Iowa’s caucuses last week. A new CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire shows Trump holds 50-percent support among likely Republican primary voters in the state, while his closest competitor, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, at 39-percent. Trump now has the backing of 26 Republican senators for his re-election.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana thumped Namibia four-nil to keep their hopes alive of reaching the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 in the Ivory Coast. A Themba Zwane brace, Percy Tau’s converted penalty, and Thapelo Maseko’s late goal moved South Africa to second spot in Group E, one point behind leaders Mali. Bafana Bafana will need to beat Tunisia on Wednesday to make the knockout stage. Coach Hugo Broos says his team now has a boost of confidence having earned their first points of the competition:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-1-cent and the euro at 20-rand-74-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-18-cents and Bitcoin trades at 41-thousand-280-dollars-46-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-29-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Gauteng premier, Panyaza Lesufi, together with Education MEC, Matome Chiloane, have handed over 560-million-rand in bursaries. This is to over four-thousand top-achieving 2023 matriculants from the province’s no-fee paying and from schools for learners with special needs. This is through the Gauteng City Region Academy Bursary Scheme. The bursary covers tuition, books, accommodation, transport allowance, a once-off laptop allowance, and a living allowance. It also covers undergraduate studies, as well as postgraduate studies. More than 90-percent of the scheme’s beneficiaries are black learners while almost 60-percent are women. 

Stay tuned for more news………….