News 09:00

BULLETIN 24 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Business Leadership SA says Budget 2026 must cement fiscal discipline
# The EFF in Gauteng says the State of the Province Address was just a repetition of promises
# And, the US military strikes another alleged drug boat, killing three people

# Business Leadership South Africa says structural reforms and fiscal discipline are laying the groundwork for economic growth, but warns that the benefits will take time to materialise. In her weekly newsletter, the organisation’s CEO Busisiwe Mavuso urged Finance minister Enoch Godongwana to maintain fiscal consolidation, continue expenditure reviews, ensure the South African Revenue Service is fully funded, and resist bailouts for underperforming state-owned enterprises. Mavuso also called for a clear signal that tax increases are off the table.

# The DA says it will submit additional evidence to the Public Protector’s Office, as part of the ongoing investigation into the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. This follows new revelations about alleged corruption and procurement abuse linked to the 7.5-billion-rand General Overhaul train refurbishment contracts. The DA’s Chris Hunsinger says their original complaint already highlighted that approximately 3.5-billion-rand had been spent on the GO contracts, while trains continued to deteriorate instead of serving commuters:

# The EFF in Gauteng says the State of the Province Address delivered by premier Panyaza Lesufi is a repetition of promises that were made since 2023. In his address, Lesufi tackled the water crisis, the economy, power outages, infrastructure, crime and corruption. The EFF’s provincial chairperson, Nkululeko Dunga, says Lesufi did not report back on any progress that would have been made in the past year, because it is non-existent:

# The US military carried out another strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on Monday, killing three people. The US Southern Command says the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. This marks the seventh strike on a vessel this year. The most recent was on Friday, on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean that also killed three people. At least 151 people have now been killed in the ongoing military campaign dubbed Operation Southern Spear.

# Soccer: UEFA has provisionally suspended Benfica winger, Gianluca Prestianni, for one match following allegations that he used racist language directed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. The incident happened during last week’s first leg Champions League meeting, where Madrid won 1-0. UEFA has imposed the ban on a provisional basis, pending the result of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector. Prestianni will miss the second leg of the tie in Madrid. Benfica say they will appeal Prestianni’s temporary suspension.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-2-cents and the euro at 18-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-60-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-32-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-177-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….