News 06:00

BULLETIN 17 January 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Tau says South Africa is positioning itself as an investment destination
# The DA calls for an investigation into the Stilfontein saga
# And motorsport: Henk Lategan loses his top spot in the Dakar Rally

# Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition, Parks Tau, says the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting will be a platform for South Africa to show that it addresses the challenges facing the economy and the country. President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead South Africa’s delegation in Davos, Switzerland, next week. Tau says the importance of attending the WEF meeting cannot be underestimated in the face of South Africa’s ambitions to prop itself up as an investment destination of choice:

# AgriSA says South Africa’s agricultural future looks bright with the expansion of BRICS, offering new trade opportunities, especially with Indonesia’s inclusion. This opens access to Southeast Asia, where demand for high-quality products like citrus, beef, and wine is growing. With BRICS now representing over 40-percent of global gross domestic product, the organisation believes South Africa can leverage BRICS and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to strengthen its agricultural exports and secure a bigger role in global trade, ensuring its world-class products reach international markets.

# The North West Department of Health has urged police to ensure that arrested illegal miners aid in identifying 78 deceased miners from the Stilfontein tragedy. Over one-thousand-900 miners have been rescued, arrested and some deported. The department’s spokesperson Tshegofatso Mothibedi stated to the SABC News that unidentified bodies would be buried as paupers, with DNA extracted for future identification:

Meanwhile, the DA has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the Buffelsfontein Mine disaster. The DA’s James Lorimer emphasised the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the crisis, drawing significant local and international attention. The DA calls for an investigation into government actions and the mine’s management to prevent future tragedies.

# Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe will cut one-thousand jobs by August, citing rising labour and fertiliser costs amid Zimbabwe’s currency crisis. Spokesperson Dahlia Garwe confirmed phased layoffs across the Hippo Valley and Triangle mills. The company’s profit margins have dropped 55-percent since 2022, while labour costs soared 113-percent. Despite operational challenges, Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe insists these issues are unrelated to its South African parent’s business rescue plan, which includes selling its Zimbabwean assets.

# Motorsport: It was so close and yet so far. Saudi driver Yazeed al-Rajhi took the lead in the overall car standings at the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia after finishing third in yesterday’s decisive penultimate stage. This means he replaces South Africa’s Henk Lategan at the top of the overall classification. Rajhi, who trailed Lategan in his Toyota by 2min 27sec, not only caught his rival but opened up a significant gap. He now leads the South African by 6min 11sec going into today’s final stage.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-80-cents and the euro at 19-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cents and Bitcoin trades at 99-thousand-827-dollar-80-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-713-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-27-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….