News 17:00

BULLETIN 27 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Saai calls for cross-border action to contain foot-and-mouth disease
# A poll finds that Americans doubt Donald Trump’s claim of a booming economy
# And rugby: The English scrumhalf Alex Mitchell’s Six Nations is over

# The Southern African Agri Initiative, Saai,  says uncontrolled livestock movement across borders and weak local structures in South Africa are worsening the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. They warn that current vaccination efforts risk failing without stronger coordination, traceability, and enforcement. The organisation’s Theo de Jager says the first confirmed foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Lesotho shows a regional approach is now essential:

# Suspended Ekurhuleni Human Resources head Linda Gxasheka says she does not know businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s wife, Tsakani Baloyi Matlala, and never met her. She expressed concern over a 3.7-million-rand payment in 2023 to Baloyi’s company Bonav Vista Learning Academy, for skills development and training programmes. Gxasheka says bid should have been disqualified as she was not satisfied with the company’s work but payments continued despite her objections:

# The High Court in Durban liquidation proceedings involving sugar giant Tongaat Hulett have been delayed again. The provisional liquidation application brought by the business rescue practitioners of Tongaat Hulett Limited. The Industrial Development Corporation filed its notice of intention to oppose the liquidation application yesterday. The matter was postponed to allow KwaZulu-Natal Judge President Thoba Poyo-Dlwati to allocate a formal hearing date. This follows disagreements between applicants and respondents over suitable dates. During a virtual sitting, legal teams also clashed over outstanding documents.

# Most Americans do not believe president Donald Trump’s claims the economy is booming and he has fixed inflation. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 68-percent of people disagree that the economy is booming, while only 16-percent agree there is hardly any inflation. Republicans were sharply divided on how well the economy is doing, which is seen as a warning sign for the party ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The poll has a margin of error of two percentage points and surveyed four-thousand-638 US adults nationwide.

# Rugby: English scrumhalf Alex Mitchell’s Six Nations is over after suffering a leg injury in last weekend’s loss to Ireland at Twickenham. He is expected to be out for several weeks, with Jack van Poortvliet seen as the favourite to wear the number nine jersey in his absence. England plays Italy in Rome next weekend, and ends the competition against defending champion France in Paris a week later. France is currently on top of the log, followed by Scotland, Ireland, England, Italy and Wales.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-95-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-82-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-48-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-72-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-196-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….