News 07:00

BULLETIN 27 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# National Treasury says the 2026 budget will show the government is on track to reduce debt
# The DA vows accountability over the costly Army Day show
# And, the remains of the last deceased hostage in Gaza have been recovered

# National Treasury director-general, Duncan Pieterse, says it is important to continue building fiscal credibility and strengthening public trust in the budget. Finance minister Enoch Godongwana will deliver the national budget on 25 February. In an editorial published in Business Day, Pieterse says the budget will show government debt stabilising relative to gross domestic product for the first time in almost 20 years. He says the budget will also show a third straight primary surplus, supporting fiscal credibility and economic-growth prospects.

# The DA says next month’s Armed Forces Day spectacle in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, the hometown of South African National Defence Force Chief Rudzani Maphwanya, shows that defence priorities are out of control. The party warns that the SANDF struggles with grounded aircraft, stalled projects, and failing military healthcare. The DA’s Chris Hattingh says spending around 372-million-rand on a military parade takes away resources needed for training and caring for soldiers:

# ANC regional secretary for the Greater Johannesburg region, Sasabona Manganye, has strongly denied that there was manipulation of the 16th regional elective conference in December. This comes after ballots used in the conference, which saw Loyiso Masuku narrowly beat Dada Morero as the party’s regional chairperson, were found at a house in Pretoria on Sunday. The ballots were meant to be kept safe and sealed and returned to the ANC. Manganye says the conference’s election process was inclusive, credible, and constitutionally sound:

# The High Court in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, has declared the case of 62 alleged instigators of the July 2021 unrest trial-ready. The riots left over 300 people dead in KZN and Gauteng. Former Fees Must Fall activist and alleged instigator Bonginkosi Khanyile told the court the riots had nothing to do with his calls for former president Jacob Zuma’s release from prison. Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says the state will call witnesses, including crime experts and digital analysts:

# The Israeli military has recovered the remains of the final deceased hostage in Gaza. Ran Gvili, an Israeli police officer, was killed fighting Hamas-led militants on 7 October 2023. Militants took his body to Gaza to use as a bargaining chip. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Gvili’s return an extraordinary achievement and described him as a hero. The retrieval of Gvili opens the way for further progress in Gaza’s ceasefire deal, including the reopening of the vital Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

# Rugby: Welsh captain Dewi Lake says they want a fresh start under new coach Steve Tandy, starting with next weekend’s Six Nations opener against England at Twickenham. Wales had lost their last eleven matches of the competition, and could only win two of their previous 20 Six Nations games. Lake says Tandy had already put a lot of emphasis on the values he wants to instill in the squad. He realises the England clash will be a big chance to test themselves against the best.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-2-cents and the euro at 19-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-326-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-67-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-35-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….