News 09:00

BULLETIN 3 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party condemns Paul O’Sullivan and Brown Mogotsi’s refusal to appear before the ad hoc committee
# TLU SA welcomes the latest fuel price decreases
# And swimming: Callan Lötter is regarded as the favourite in the Midmar Mile’s women’s division

# The MK Party has condemned the refusal by private forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan and businessman Brown Mogotsi to appear before Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee, citing alleged security concerns. O’Sullivan, who is currently overseas, cited death threats as the reason for his inability to travel. Mogotsi asked Parliament to fund his personal security detail as a condition for his appearance in person. The MK Party says no individual is above the law, and all persons lawfully summoned to appear before the committee must comply.

# Agriculture organisation TLU SA has welcomed the significant fuel price decreases announced by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. The adjustment will see both grades of petrol drop by 65-cents per litre, while diesel will decrease by up to 57-cents per litre, effectively bringing petrol prices to their lowest levels in four years. TLU SA’s Bennie van Zyl says the decrease offers crucial relief to the agricultural sector’s input costs:

# The ANC Youth League in Gauteng says it supports the formal declaration of the Gauteng Crime Prevention Wardens, popularly known as amaPanyaza, as peace officers. Last Friday, more than nine-thousand wardens were declared peace officers. The Youth League’s Palesa Molefe says in a province confronted by the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, this intervention represents a bold and necessary act of economic justice:

# The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees says the limited reopening of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip is being met with both optimism and fear. The crossing has largely been closed since May 2024, when the Gaza Strip was captured by Israeli forces. UNRWA’s Sam Rose told the BBC that, as they have seen so many times throughout this conflict between Israel and Hamas, there are really competing dynamics at play:

# Swimming: Last year’s runner-up, Callan Lötter, is regarded as the favourite to win the women’s division of this coming weekend’s Midmar Mile in KwaZulu-Natal. Catherine van Rensburg won’t be back to defend her title, opting to train for the Senior Nationals to qualify for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Lötter is the national open water champion over the 1.5-kilometre, five-kilometre and ten-kilometre. Over 12-thousand swimmers are expected to participate in the open water event this year.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-98-cents and the euro at 18-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-87-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 78-thousand-482-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-819-dollars-5-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-92-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….