News 07:00

BULLETIN 13 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The minister of Basic Education says the matric pass rate is not 30-percent
# The DA clears Steenhuisen of the misappropriation of party funds
# And, the Weather Service calls for vigilance as a low-pressure system brings continued heavy rain

# Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, says the 30-percent pass rate used by opposition parties is incorrect, and it undermines learners’ true potential and aspirations. She says the National Senior Certificate is earned by meeting minimum requirements across a full subject package, including higher thresholds in key subjects. Gwarube emphasises that learners need to achieve the right marks in the right subjects in the NSC exams to gain entry into their preferred programme at a higher education level:

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has attributed the province’s 2025 matric results to effective collaboration among educators, unions, learners, parents, school governing bodies, the Education Department, and the Executive Council. KZN secured a matric pass rate of 90.6-percent, the best in the country. Ntuli’s spokesperson, Lindelani Mbatha, says the results serve as clear proof of the government of provincial unity in action:

# The DA’s federal executive committee has accepted a report clearing party leader John Steenhuisen of allegations that he had abused a party-issued credit card. Federal Executive Chairperson Helen Zille says that all expenditure linked to the card has been fully reconciled. However, FedEx has accepted a recommendation from its federal legal commission that a disciplinary inquiry be instituted to determine whether either Steenhuisen or member Dion George violated sections of the party’s federal constitution. This relates to bringing the party into disrepute.

# UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, says she has told her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, that his government must end its violence against protesters. At least 648 protesters have been killed in an ongoing crackdown against anti-government demonstrations, which have entered a third week. Cooper says the Iranian government must uphold fundamental rights and freedoms and ensure British nationals are safe. In response, Aragchi says he has warned the UK to avoid interfering in Iran’s internal affairs.

# Rugby: The Stormers’ humiliating 61-10 loss to Harlequins in London on Sunday didn’t dent the team’s hoping of advancing in the Champions Cup. They are still in with a very good chance of qualifying for the round of 16, and victory over Leicester in Cape Town this coming weekend could even hand them a home match in the play-offs. Coach John Dobson says he did go to London with an under-strength team because of the short turnaround, but the match against Leicester has now become much more important.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-8-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-350-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-595-dollars-47-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-88-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Weather Service has issued severe weather warnings for parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal. A persistent low-pressure system is bringing heavy rain, with orange level six and level nine warnings in place, as heavy rain is expected to cause flooding, road closures, and property damage. Forecaster Amukelani Mkhari says the system will continue to bring heavy rain over the next two days:

Stay tuned for more news………….