News 14:00

BULLETIN 27 January 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The KwaZulu-Natal Hawks-head denies the knowledge of a ‘Big Five’ cartel
# The DA is demanding an overhaul of the Nersa board
# And more athletes join the controversial Enhanced Games

# KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Lesetja Senona has denied any knowledge of the so-called “Big Five” cartel while testifying at the Madlanga commission. Senona rejected allegations by Crime Intelligence boss Dumisani Khumalo and witnesses X and C, including claims he leaked classified SAPS information or abused his position to benefit his son Thato Senona’s associate. He describes the accusations as malicious and untrue, insisting he never used his office for personal or cartel-related gain:

# The DA is calling for the overhaul of the National Energy Regulator’s board, saying it is incapable of basic arithmetic and is actively working against the interests of citizens. In September last year, Nersa admitted to a 54-billion-rand miscalculation regarding Eskom’s revenue. This figure has reportedly ballooned to 76-billion-rand. The DA’s Kevin Mileham says South Africans will now be forced to pay around a 10.5-percent electricity price hike this year:

# The City of Tshwane has confirmed the national Department of Public Works has paid 91-million-rand for municipal accounts in arrears. This comes amid a public row between the metro and the Department of Correctional Services following attempts to cut off power to the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre, as part of Tshwane Ya Tima operations. The metro’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, says Tshwane is owed more than 1.9-billion-rand by various national and provincial departments:

Moving abroad:

# The United Nation’s World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026 report, launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, indicates that Africa’s economy is expected to grow by four-percent this year and 4.1-percent next year. Growth is being driven by improved macroeconomic stability in major economies, with East Africa leading at 5.6-percent. However, the UN warns high debt, limited fiscal space, food inflation and global uncertainty continue to threaten inclusive growth. It also warns that recovery remains uneven across regions.

# Sports news: Emily Barclay has become the latest British athlete to join the controversial Enhanced Games. She is one of three swimmers included in the latest group of athletes announced by the Games, alongside two Olympians, Bulgarian Antani Ivanov and Mexican Miguel de Lara Ojeda. Two female sprinters, Jasmine Abrams of Guyana and Denae McFarlane of Jamaica, are also included. The Games allow participants to take performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in mainstream sport.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-3-cents and the euro at 19-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-878-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-88-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….