News 08:00

BULLETIN 4 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa is set to deliver the keynote address at the Afreximbank accession ceremony
# The NPA dismisses Moroadi Cholota’s allegations of torture
# And, six are killed and three suspects arrested following a shooting in Meyerton

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address at the signing of South Africa’s Instrument of Accession to the African Export–Import Bank’s Establishment Agreement in Johannesburg today. Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution that facilitates, promotes, and expands intra- and extra-African trade. The Presidency says Ramaphosa will outline South Africa’s vision for industrialisation, export diversification, decarbonisation, and digitisation. It says he will also discuss the country’s role in advancing Africa’s economic integration, in line with the bank’s strategic mandate.

# The National Prosecuting Authority has strongly dismissed the allegations made by former Free State premier Ace Magashule’s former personal assistant, Moroadi Cholota. She told the Bloemfontein High Court on Tuesday that she was mentally tortured and denied basic human rights when she was extradited from the US to South Africa. The court has reserved judgment until February 18 on whether Cholota’s April 2024 extradition from the US was lawful. NPA’s Mthunzi Mhaga says they are focused on getting to the trial:

# Gauteng police have arrested three people in connection with a shooting that claimed the lives of six people on the R59 road in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg. Eighteen people were wounded. All the deceased and injured are Lesotho nationals. Gauteng Police Deputy Commissioner, Fred Kekana, says the six people, four females and two males, were shot and killed after the minibus they were travelling in was ambushed by a group of suspects:

# UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says prime minister Keir Starmer has a lot of questions to answer regarding Peter Mandelson, including his appointment as the country’s US ambassador. The former Labour minister is accused of passing market-sensitive government information to US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Metropolitan Police has now launched a criminal investigation into Mandelson over allegations of misconduct in public office. Badenoch says this investigation was inevitable:

# Golf: The Official World Golf Ranking says only the top ten finishers in LIV Golf’s 14 individual stroke-play events will earn world ranking points this year. This is the first time since the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway tour was formed in 2022 that players will have the chance to earn ranking points. The OWGR board says the points were being restricted to the top ten finishers because it recognises there are several areas where LIV Golf does not meet the eligibility standards. LIV’s season begins in Saudi Arabia today.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-94-cents and the euro at 18-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-483-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-55-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….