News 07:00

BULLETIN 19 February 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The government says it is implementing measures to support food security and households
# AfriForum accuses the disaster management centre of misleading the government and public
# And, the EFF in Gauteng has severed ties with the ANC in Ekurhuleni

# Government says it continues to implement measures to support food security, enhance market monitoring, strengthen competition, and protect vulnerable households from rising costs. The latest Consumer Price Index figures released by Statistics South Africa show that headline inflation eased from 3.6-percent in December 2025 to 3.5-percent in January. The easing in inflation reflects a combination of stable food prices and lower fuel costs. The government says it will continue to monitor price developments closely and act where necessary to safeguard consumer welfare and support economic growth.

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson has announced a new plan to unlock the value of the state’s 155-billion-rand property portfolio. The plan will fix and develop unused government buildings and land to generate money and reduce the high cost of renting private offices. During the second day of the debate on the state of the nation address, Macpherson said the reform will help fund infrastructure, attract investment, and create nearly 100-thousand jobs:

# AfriForum has accused the national disaster management centre of misleading the public by not officially declaring foot-and-mouth disease, the water crisis, and recent floods as national disasters. The organisation calls on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to urgently declare these disasters so that emergency funding and resources can be released. AfriForum’s Tarien Cooks says delays are slowing down efforts to deal with the crises:

# The EFF in Gauteng has pulled out of its coalition arrangement with the ANC in the City of Ekurhuleni, following mayor Nkosiphindile Xhakaza’s decision to reshuffle the mayoral committee. The mayor removed the EFF’s Bridget Thusi as mayoral committee member for Community Services and Kgopello Hollo as mayoral committee member for Human Settlements. The EFF’s provincial spokesperson, Dumisani Baleni, says these changes are not made in the best interests of the people of Ekurhuleni, but rather to satisfy selfish political interests:

# French authorities have arrested two more people in connection with the murder of far-right student activist Quentin Deranque, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to eleven. The 23-year-old died on Saturday after sustaining a severe brain injury when he was beaten and kicked during a demonstration in Lyon last week. Among those arrested is a parliamentary aide to France’s hard-left party. The incident has inflamed political tensions in France in the run-up to next month’s municipal elections as well as the 2027 presidential race.

# Rugby: Springboks legend JP Pietersen has been appointed as the permanent head coach of the Sharks, following a successful spell in an interim capacity. The Durban-based team has won five out of seven matches since Pietersen took over from John Plumtree last November. Former Griquas coach Scott Mathie will join Pietersen’s staff as the team’s new attack coach next season. Former attack coach Dave Williams has been made general manager, and former director of rugby Neil Powell is now the head of junior rugby.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-3-cents and the euro at 18-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-666-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-963-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 69-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….