News 11:00

BULLETIN 23 February 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA is calling on Ramaphosa to review the National Conventional Arms Control Committee’s leadership
# Zelensky says Ukraine will end the war against Russia victorious
# And rugby: The Junior Boks beat Georgia in the first of two internationals

# The DA is calling on president Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently review whether the current composition and leadership of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee are capable of fulfilling their statutory and constitutional responsibilities. According to the party, this follows sustained governance failures. Only seven meetings were held last year. The DA’s Chris Hattingh says a statutory committee entrusted with regulating a multibillion-rand export sector cannot disappear for a quarter of the year:

# Activists and Citizens Forum says suspended deputy national police commissioner for Crime Detection, Shadrack Sibiya, has a golden opportunity to come clean by putting the truth before the Madlanga commission. His ongoing testimony comes amid intense scrutiny over claims of corruption and ties to organised crime within the Police Service. Forum spokesperson, Dennis Bloem, says Sibiya is responsible for overseeing major investigations, but has been accused of serious misconduct:

# Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi is set to deliver his state of the province address at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg this evening. It will outline the provincial government’s programme of action as well as service delivery priority areas for 2026 and beyond. These include water, crime and unemployment. Speaker of the Gauteng legislature, Morakane Mosupyoe, says the address also marks the opening of the legislature:

Moving abroad:

# President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine is definitely not losing the war against Russia. Tomorrow will mark the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s all-out invasion. Zelensky told the BBC he was against paying the price for a ceasefire deal demanded by Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by withdrawing from strategic ground that Russia has failed to capture. US president Donald Trump has suggested Ukraine must give up control of some land in exchange for peace. Zelensky says stopping Putin today is a victory for the whole world.

# Rugby: The Junior Springboks defeated Georgia 35-0 in the first of two international matches at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi. Tries were scored by Hendré Schoeman, Danie Kruger, Liam van Wyk, Kebotile Maake, and Gert Kemp, with Yaqeen Ahmed converting all five. The matches are part of preparations for the upcoming Junior World Championship. Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote praised his side’s ability to absorb pressure and maintain defensive integrity. He adds they need to work on their execution, particularly handling and decision‑making.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-98-cents and the euro at 18-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-861-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-150-dollars-56-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….