News 08:00

BULLETIN 13 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa has declared foot-and-mouth disease as a national disaster
# John Steenhuisen says the pathway to prosperity for South Africa requires faster reforms
# And, the UN says over seven thousand children were exploited by armed groups in 2024

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has classified the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in the country as a national disaster, saying the cattle industry is facing one of the worst outbreaks the country has experienced. Delivering the State of the Nation Address yesterday evening, he said the disease is damaging the economy, resulting in export bans, trade restrictions, and devastation of herds. He added that the government will work closely with the private sector to enable an efficient rollout of the vaccines:

Agriculture minister and DA leader, John Steenhuisen, says South Africa must accelerate economic growth to meaningfully reduce unemployment and lower the cost of living. He has welcomed several interventions announced by Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address, including restoring accountability in public finances and the declaration of a state of disaster to combat foot-and-mouth disease. Steenhuisen says the speech did not go far enough to deliver action to fix the state of municipalities:

Meanwhile, the ANC says president Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address spoke on the actual realities of citizens, including unemployment, service delivery, and crime. The party has linked the speech to commitments made in the January 8 statement and outcomes of recent Cabinet and party strategy sessions. The ANC’s first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane, has welcomed the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to bolster the police’s efforts to fight gang violence and illegal mining in the Western Cape and Gauteng:

# The United Nations says the recruitment and use of children is still one of the most widespread and devastating violations the world faces. In 2024 alone, over seven-thousand-400 children were recruited or used by armed forces and armed groups. The violations are most prevalent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Myanmar. UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, says justice and accountability act as strong deterrents, showing armed groups that recruiting children has real consequences.

# Rugby: Scottish centre Huw Jones says his team is fired up to bounce back after losing to Italy in this year’s first Six Nations weekend. They welcome England to the capital of Edinburgh tomorrow. England lost their last two matches against Scotland at Murrayfield, while the Scots were victorious in their last eight encounters with their old enemy in the competition. Jones realises England is regarded as the favourites after winning their last 12 games, but says they want to take out their frustration on the visitors.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-96-cents and the euro at 18-rand-94-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-73-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-655-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-976-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….