News 06:00

BULLETIN 11 February 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa affirms his support for a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict
# The Airports Company South Africa had a record-breaking festive season
# And rugby: An experienced Bok Women’s team will participate in the Kenyan Sevens this weekend

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa continues to support a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Ramaphosa reiterated that all wars should end through negotiations. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says the two leaders also discussed trade, investment, and collaboration in international forums such as BRICS and the G20:

# Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan told Parliament’s ad hoc committee that president Cyril Ramaphosa attended a short course he facilitated on the Bill of Rights in 1997. Committee members challenged O’Sullivan, noting he had no formal qualifications to train on the Constitution. He clarified the sessions did not focus on the full Constitution, and said Ramaphosa endorsed the training despite having helped draft the Bill of Rights:

# Airports Company South Africa says it experienced its best-ever holiday season, recording over 4.6-million passengers through its airports in December and January. This represents a 98-percent recovery to pre-pandemic levels and marks an eight-percent year-on-year increase in total traffic. Two airports in the network achieved record-breaking passenger numbers for 2025: Cape Town International Airport and George Airport. ACSA says this strong rebound was driven by the restoration of key international routes, new airline entrants, and increased flight frequencies.

# Civil society group WaterCAN has called on the government to declare the water crisis in Johannesburg a national disaster, saying residents are effectively living under Day Zero conditions. Johannesburg Water’s central systems remain constrained due to poor incoming supply and increased demand. This has led to several reservoirs, including Alexander Park, Berea, and Crown Gardens, having limited or no water supply. WaterCAN says allowing Johannesburg, the economic heart of South Africa, to operate without reliable water access signals a failure of governance.

# President Donald Trump has threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting the US and Canada until Washington is “fully compensated for everything” it has given to its northern neighbour. He also blamed former President Barack Obama for allowing construction to begin without the use of any US steel. According to the project’s website, the bridge is being funded by the Canadian government but will be publicly owned by both Canada and Michigan. The project has been a point of contention between the countries for more than a decade.

# Rugby: Coach Cecil Afrika retained the tried and tested core of Springbok Women’s players for this coming weekend’s Sevens 2 tournament in Kenya. Ten of the players were in the squad that won the Sevens 3 tournament in Dubai last month, which saw them progress to the next qualifying phase. Speedster Shannon-Lee Windvogel can make her debut in Nairobi, replacing the injured Vianca Boer, while Lerato Makua comes in for Zintle Mpupha, who is on duty for the Bulls Daisies. Experienced Nadine Roos will lead the squad.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-92-cents and the euro at 18-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-647-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-27-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….