News 15:00

BULLETIN 13 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Gauteng police members have been barred from Wiandré Pretorius’s memorial drive in Boksburg
# The FF Plus says urgent integrated intervention is needed to resolve the Gauteng water crisis
# And tennis: Victoria Mboko closes in on the top-ten after beating the Australian Open champion in Qatar

# Gauteng police have been instructed not to attend tonight’s memorial drive for former police reservist Wiandré Pretorius in Boksburg. He took his own life on Saturday, days after an attempt on his life. Pretorius was a person of interest in an Independent Police Investigative Directorate probe into the 2022 murder of businessman Emmanuel Mbhense and the assassination of Madlanga commission witness Marius van der Merwe, known as Witness D. An official directive barred all police members from participating.

# The Freedom Front Plus says Gauteng’s ongoing water crisis is not just the result of limited resources, but also of systemic maladministration, poor planning and inadequate maintenance of infrastructure. Communities continue to grapple with water supply disruptions, with some residents in areas including Midrand, Melville and the south of Johannesburg resorting to protest action. The FF Plus’ Jaco Mulder says Gauteng requires urgent infrastructure upgrades and strict water loss control:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says 622 schools have benefited from the Adopt-A-School initiative, supporting government’s efforts to improve education. Speaking at the post-state of the nation address golf fundraiser in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said proceeds from the event go directly to the charity. He adds collaborative efforts of numerous individuals, private organisations, and government departments, continue to support the initiative, contributing to the success of the country’s education system:

# Statistics South Africa says mining production rose by 2.5-percent year-on-year in December, led by strong gains in iron ore and manganese. Platinum group metals and coal recorded declines, and seasonally adjusted production fell 1.2-percent compared with November. Stats SA’s Juan-Pierre Terblanche says overall mineral sales for last year rose 7.3-percent compared with 2024, reflecting higher demand and rising commodity prices:

# Tennis: Young Canadian Victoria Mboko is closing in on the world top-ten after beating Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. The world number three from Kazakhstan won her last nine matches, including against number one, Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, in the final of the Australian Open last month. Nineteen-year-old Mboko is currently 13th in the standings after starting last season outside the top-300. If she beats Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the semifinals, she will enter the top-ten on Monday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-5-cents and the euro at 19-rand-4-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-85-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-873-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-937-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-28-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….