News 14:00

BULLETIN 25 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ambassador Brent Bozell pledges to strengthen ties between America and South Africa
# FOSA is calling for a transparent probe into the luring of South African men into fighting in the Russian-Ukrainian war
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus casts his net wide for the first Bok alignment camp

# Newly appointed US ambassador to South Africa, Brent Bozell, says his top priority is rebuilding relations between Pretoria and Washington. He presented letters of credence to acting chief of State Protocol, Clayson Monyela, this week. Bozell acknowledged tensions after US president Donald Trump returned to office. He emphasised shared values and investment ties, noting over 500 American companies operate in South Africa despite current diplomatic challenges:

# The Public Servants Association is deeply troubled that South Africa is still gripped by a violent crime emergency, with persistent high levels of murder, rape, armed robbery, and gang-related violence. The recently released quarterly crime statistics show five-thousand-940 murders were recorded between October and December, despite an 8.7-percent year-on-year decline in the murder rate. PSA’s Claude Naicker says a fully integrated safety strategy is necessary:

# The Department of Basic Education says grade repetition is costing South Africa billions of rand, consuming up to eight-percent of its annual education budget. The finding comes from the Funda Uphumelele report, which assessed reading outcomes for learners in grades one to four. It shows that 15-percent of grade three learners scored zero on reading assessments. Experts say redirecting funds to early childhood development and structured literacy programmes would deliver stronger and longer-lasting results.

# Forum for South Africa says the luring of 17 South African men into fighting in the Russian-Ukrainian war is a direct result of government failure. Four are already back, eleven will return soon, one remains in a hospital in Moscow, and the other one’s travel arrangements are being finalised. FOSA leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, also questions the serious failure of South Africa’s intelligence and border monitoring systems:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus cast his net wide for the first in-person alignment camp of the year in Cape Town. He named a 49-man squad featuring 11 uncapped players – five of whom are still in the Junior Bok ranks. The group includes 14 World Cup winners, with Frans Malherbe returning after he was injured during the 2023 World Cup final. The camp will run from Tuesday to next Friday as the Bok coaches zoom in on the 2026 season.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-91-cents and the euro at 18-rand-75-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-50-cents and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-371-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-179-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 70-dollars-86-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….