News 07:00

BULLETIN 20 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Parliament’s ad hoc committee is going to subpoena Paul O’ Sullivan
# The European Union invests 95-million-rand for school safety initiatives in South Africa
# And the British prime minister criticises Trump’s tariff threats

# Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating allegations of criminal infiltration, corruption, and political interference in the justice system, has resolved to subpoena private investigator Paul O’ Sullivan. He faces allegations of being an agent tasked with destabilising the country. The committee has vehemently rejected his request to testify virtually due to security concerns. The ANC’s Mdumiseni Ntuli has accused O’ Sullivan of undermining Parliament:

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse warns that caretaker boards at the South African National Roads Agency are becoming routine, undermining accountability and public trust. The organisation argues that repeated extensions of the board delay proper oversight and allow governance concerns, including tender processes and senior management exits, to go unresolved. OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage calls for an independent inquiry into Sanral’s governance and procurement practices:

# The European Union has committed about 95-million-rand towards a national programme aimed at preventing and responding to gender-based violence in South African schools. The announcement was made during minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube’s visit to Eldorado Secondary School in Gauteng yesterday. The EU’s investment will be directed towards initiatives such as strengthening prevention education, psychosocial support, referral pathways, and school-based interventions to protect learners. EU ambassador to South Africa Sandra Kramer stated that school safety is a fundamental precondition for quality education.

# The Public Servants Association is calling for the immediate deployment of resources to assist communities affected by devastating floods in Mpumalanga. The union says urgent action is needed to restore water, electricity, health services, and roads, and to support families displaced by the disaster. They also urged proper protection and support for frontline workers operating in dangerous conditions. The association’s Phumzile Zulu extended condolences to those who lost loved ones, while reminding communities to follow safety directives as recovery efforts continue.

# UK prime minister Keir Starmer says US president Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on allies over Greenland are completely wrong. Over the weekend, Trump said he would impose a ten-percent tariff on goods from eight Nato allies starting in February if they oppose his proposed takeover of Greenland, threatening to raise it to 25-percent by June. Starmer says Greenland’s future should be decided solely by the people of Greenland and Denmark:

# Netball: Proteas head coach Jenny van Dyk has finalised her 15-player squad to face England in a three-match test series in Johannesburg next week. This will be the team’s last international test matches before the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. South Africa head into the series on the back of a successful Africa Netball Cup campaign in Lilongwe, where they were crowned champions. Van Dyk says competing against the best in the world helps them gauge where they are and allows the team to improve and grow.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-8-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-743-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-667-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….