News 08:00

BULLETIN 19 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Lamola says the DA must decide whether it wants to be in government or opposition
# Minister Enoch Godongwana likely to avoid tax shocks in the election year
# And, one of South Africa’s most influential thinkers, Clem Sunter, has died

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, says the DA must decide whether it wants to be in government or in opposition, arguing that it cannot be both. He made the remarks during the State of the Nation Address debate in the National Assembly on Wednesday. This comes after the DA’s Baxolile Nodada stated that the party joined the government of national unity to rescue South Africa and to challenge the failed policies of the past. Lamola says two dangerous extremes confront Parliament:

# Stellenbosch Business School economist André Roux says Finance minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to keep this year’s budget steady, with no major tax changes before local elections. VAT and personal income tax rates are expected to remain unchanged, although sin taxes may rise and bracket creep could increase the tax burden indirectly. Roux added social relief grants are likely to continue, but spending on infrastructure and universal income plans will remain limited:

# Eight of nine skiers who were missing after an avalanche near California’s Lake Tahoe on Tuesday have been found dead. One skier is still missing and presumed dead. They were part of a 15-person group on a three‑day backcountry trip in northern California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Six were rescued with various injuries. Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon says the bodies of the eight dead skiers are still trapped in the snow:

# Tennis: World number one Carlos Alcaraz is through to the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open in Doha. The Spaniard defeated France’s Valentin Royer, 6-2, 7-5 and will face Russia’s Karen Khachanov for a last-four spot. World number two Jannik Sinner of Italy beat Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, 6-3, 7-5, to book his spot in the quarterfinals. Defending champion Russia’s Andrey Rublev brushed aside Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, 6-2, 6-4, while Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to his first tour-level quarterfinal for ten months by downing Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, 6-3, 6-4.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-4-cents and the euro at 18-rand-91-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-64-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-765-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-968-dollars-28-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars a barrel.

# And finally, renowned South African futurist and strategist, Clem Sunter, has passed away at the age of 81 following a battle with cancer. He gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s for his pioneering use of scenario planning to help chart the country’s political and economic future. Sunter’s widely referenced “High Road vs Low Road” scenarios offered contrasting visions of South Africa’s possible futures. He was also a prolific author, and his famous books include The World and South Africa in the 1990s and The Mind of a Fox.

Stay tuned for more news………….