News 06:00

BULLETIN 16 January 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The World Bank raises its economic growth forecast for South Africa
# Rise Mzansi welcomes the five-percent drop in festive season road deaths
# And rugby: The Springbok loose forward Evan Roos extends his contract with the Stormers

# The World Bank has raised its economic growth forecast for South Africa in 2026 to 1.4-percent, up 0.3 percentage points from its June 2025 forecast. The bank says growth strengthened in 2025 to 1.3-percent, supported by more reliable electricity supply, a bumper agricultural harvest, and an uptick in business confidence toward year-end. It says fiscal consolidation efforts and a lower inflation target further bolstered investor sentiment. The World Bank adds that private consumption and investment will remain the main growth drivers, aided by efforts to improve public-expenditure efficiency.

# Rise Mzansi says the festive season road statistics show a small improvement, with road deaths dropping by five-percent. However, the party says the number of people killed on the roads remains far too high. It warns that road accidents cost the economy billions of rands each year. Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana says road safety must be enforced every day of the year, not only during peak seasons, with action against unroadworthy vehicles, and ongoing public awareness:

# The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities is facing more controversy, following the resignation of the commission’s Section 22 Committee chairperson, Musa Xulu. Xulu’s resignation comes amid widespread protests from churches opposing the committee’s efforts to address harmful practices, viewing them as government overreach. He stated that the committee aimed to protect congregants from abuses in extremist churches, not regulate faith. The committee will continue under new leadership, focusing on accountability and protecting congregants while upholding constitutional religious freedom.

# The DA says Tshwane residents are suffering from severe and recurring power outages, with East Lynne experiencing the longest blackout. The party is preparing a formal complaint to the energy regulator, Nersa, alleging the city is failing to provide a reliable electricity supply. The DA’s Cilliers Brink blames budget mismanagement, including funds being diverted to backdated salary increases and non-essential services:

# The G7 Foreign Ministers say they are ready to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations. At least two-thousand-400 protesters have been killed since the start of Iran’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. The foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, and the European Union call on the Iranian authorities to exercise full restraint, to refrain from violence, and to uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Iran’s citizens.

# Rugby: Springbok loose forward Evan Roos will stay in Cape Town until at least 2028 after extending his contract with the Stormers. He already played 74 matches for the team and was named Players’ Player of the Season in 2022, when the Stormers won the United Rugby Championship. He made his international debut in the same year. Stormers director of rugby John Dobson says 25-year-old Roos made a huge impact at a very young age, and he believes they are yet to see the best of him.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-32-cents and the euro at 18-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-432-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-616-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-25-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….