News 18:00

BULLETIN 9 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The UDM warns of South Africa’s poor preparedness for extreme weather
# Forum for South Africa demands government must immediately prioritise the South African National Defence Force’s funding
# And, the Motor Industry Staff Association welcomes the trade deal with China

# The United Democratic Movement has expresses concern over South Africa’s readiness for severe weather after Orange Level 5 thunderstorm warnings in KwaZulu-Natal and flooding alerts in the Eastern Cape. Acting secretary general Zandile Phiri says inadequate municipal planning, neglected infrastructure, and reactive disaster management put communities at risk. She warns that climate change impacts, including floods, droughts, and storms, are structural threats requiring coordinated governance, proper planning, and urgent investment in resilience to protect lives and infrastructure.

# Forum for South Africa demands government and the Defence Department must immediately prioritise the South African National Defence Force’s funding, equipment, and soldier welfare. FOSA leader Tebogo Mashilompane says SANDF is overstretched, underfunded, and neglected. He says it has been nonetheless expected from them to carry the burden of regional instability while South Africa’s communities face crime, unemployment, border insecurity, and infrastructure collapse:

# The Motor Industry Staff Association welcomes the China-Africa Economic Partnership Agreement signed by Minister Parks Tau and China’s Minister of Commerce, Wang Renato. MISA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says the deal gives South Africa tariff-free access to Chinese markets with no quotas and covers trade, investment, and new energy co-operation. She added it could expand local automotive manufacturing, strengthen dealership networks, and also create jobs in logistics, retail, servicing, and parts distribution, benefiting 75-thousand workers:

# Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate are deeply concerned by the revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files amid further damning disclosures about the heir-to-the-throne’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The former prince was cast out of the royal inner circle over his close relationship with the convicted pedophile. Newly release e-mails suggest Andrew shared official British trade documents with Epstein in 2010, leaking sensitive information from his then-official role as a government envoy. He reportedly forwarded Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other places he officially visited.

# Motorsport: Cadillac’s Mexican driver, Sergio Perez, says they will be disappointed if they finish last in their debut Formula One season. Not much is expected from the team, backed by General Motors and driving with Ferrari engines. But Perez and his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas are experienced drivers who know how to win races. Perez says they realise they won’t win the championship this year, but want to make a lot of progress and beat a few teams. The season starts in Melbourne, Australia, on 8 March.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-97-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-413-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-15-dollars-92-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….