News 11:00

BULLETIN 26 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Naledi Pandor meets with the chief prosecutor if the International Court of Justice, ahead of the genocide case ruling against Israel
# The African Transformation Movement criticises the Reserve Bank’s inaction on interest rates amidst the country’s economic challenges
# And rugby, the Blitzboks are off to a winning start in Perth

# Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, met with International Court of Justice chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, during an official visit to the court. The court will today rule on South Africa’s request for emergency measures against Israel, which is accused of genocide for its military operation in Gaza. The ruling will not deal with the core accusation of the case, whether genocide occurred. The department’s spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, says South Africa believes Israel violated the Genocide Convention:

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday had a phone call with Pandor regarding the conflict in Gaza. They spoke about ensuring sustained humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians and working towards lasting regional peace. Blinken and Pandor reaffirmed the importance of the US-South Africa partnership and cooperation on shared priorities.

# Cape Forum says its Constitutional Court bid aims to empower premiers to call provincial referendums. The organisation sought clarity on premiers’ legal authority to call referendums, citing conflicting advice. While the Constitution permits it, existing legislation only caters for the president to do so. The forum asked the court to declare the Referendums Act unconstitutional, urging legislative action. The court joined eight premiers as respondents. With a pending Electoral Commission Amendment Bill, the court has deferred Cape Forum’s application, allowing for future relief if necessary.

# The African Transformation Movement says it is concerned by the South African Reserve Bank’s decision to maintain the current interest rates, despite encouraging signs of a slight dip in consumer prices for the second consecutive month in December. The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee has left the repo rate unchanged at 8.25-percent, with the prime lending rate at 11.75-percent. ATM’s spokesperson, Zama Ntshona, says the central bank’s refusal to provide citizens with a safety cushion by lowering the repo rate further is concerning:

# Rugby: Captain Selvyn Davids scored two tries as the Springbok Sevens began their Pool A campaign with a 24-7 victory over Canada at the Perth Sevens in Australia. South Africa recovered from conceding an early try to record a convincing win. David Brits and Tristan Leyds came off the bench to make their debuts for the Blitzboks. The Springbok Sevens will next face Spain in their final game of the day this afternoon, before taking on series leader Argentina in their final pool match tomorrow morning.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-90-cents and the euro at 20-rand-47-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand and Bitcoin trades at 39-thousand-977-dollars-34-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-21-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….