News 07:00

BULLETIN 6 February 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa won’t act on Mchunu’s allegations at this stage
# Geordin Hill-Lewis is considering running for DA leader
# And golf: Scotland’s Lorna McClymont leads the SuperSport Ladies Challenge

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended his decision not to fire Police minister Senzo Mchunu, saying he is awaiting the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry’s final report. KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made explosive allegations against Mchunu, accusing him of political interference in key investigations, including unlawfully disbanding the Political Killings Task Team in KwaZulu-Natal. Ramaphosa says he is aware of the criticism he has faced, but maintains that he will act once the commission has concluded in three months:

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says he will only make his intentions clear on whether he will be running to become the DA’s next leader later this month. This comes after John Steenhuisen announced on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election at the party’s elective congress in April. Hill-Lewis is considered one of the front-runners for the position. He says if he does stand for election, he will welcome part of a robust and principled process focused on competing ideas for the future of the party and the country.

# Statistics South Africa says electricity generation fell by nearly eight-percent year-on-year in December last year, while electricity distribution dropped by just over seven-percent. Overall power production was two-percent lower last year compared to 2024, reversing gains made the previous year. Stats SA’s Tsholofelo Ditinti says electricity consumption for the year also declined by more than four-percent:

# Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba says preliminary assessments indicate that the province may require nearly ten-billion-rand for comprehensive recovery efforts following the recent floods. Since December 2025, the province has recorded 27 fatalities, alongside approximately three-thousand-194 houses affected and around 439 roads rendered unusable. The provincial government has allocated 800-million-rand towards recovery, while it awaits a response from the National Disaster Management Centre. Ramathuba says the primary focus involves ongoing damage assessments, relief interventions, and urgent restoration of essential services.

# Australian authorities said on Thursday they are treating an attempt to bomb a rally protesting against the country’s national day on January 26, as a terrorism incident. Police arrested a 31-year-old man on accusations of hurling a homemade bomb into a crowd of several thousand people in the city of Perth. Australia Day is celebrated as a public holiday marked by picnics, barbecues and ceremonies for new citizens, but it has also attracted criticism from some, including in the Indigenous community, with “Invasion Day” protest rallies nationwide.

# Golf: Scotland’s Lorna McClymont, who is aiming for a maiden Sunshine Ladies Tour victory, will take a two-stroke lead into today’s final round of the SuperSport Ladies Challenge in Gqeberha. She posted a four-under-par 68 to lead on two under par. Two strokes adrift on level par is the duo of South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and Celina Sattelkau of Germany. A group of seven players are all on one over par going into the final round, including defending champion South Africa’s Nadia van der Westhuizen.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-29-cents and the euro at 19-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-62-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-755-dollars-12-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 66-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….