News 06:00

BULLETIN 30 January 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa is going to approach the UN Security Council to enforce the International Court of Justice’s order against Israel
# Israel presents a new hostage-swapping deal to Hamas
# And tennis, Pope Francis congratulates Jannik Sinner on his first Grand Slam title

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa will approach the United Nations Security Council to ensure that Israel abides by the International Court of Justice ruling. Last week Friday, the court ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts that could amount to genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Speaking at the closing of the ANC’s National Executive Committee meeting yesterday, Ramaphosa reiterated his call for the Security Council’s reform:

# Israel has agreed to a deal that would see the release of the remaining Hamas hostages held in the country. The deal was brokered by negotiators from Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, and a draft was presented to Hamas. It will reportedly see the release of hostages held by Hamas in phases, together with pauses in fighting, and the delivery of aid to Gaza. Simultaneously, Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will also be released. Hamas is believed to still be holding over 100 hostages in Gaza.

# National Police commissioner Fannie Masemola says there has been a significant improvement in police resources since the civil unrest in July 2021. He was responding to the South African Human Rights Commission’s report into the violence and lootings, mainly in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says the filling of critical vacancies in crime intelligence has been prioritised:

# Gauteng police have initiated a manhunt following a fatal shooting at a Zakariyya Park donation function yesterday. Unidentified suspects entered the venue in the south of Johannesburg, firing shots before fleeing in a white vehicle. The incident resulted in two deaths on site, with three people sustaining gunshot wounds and being hospitalised. Police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the City of Johannesburg’s chief whip Sithembiso Zungu is among the wounded:

# IFP KwaZulu-Natal premier candidate, Thami Ntuli, says it is painful to see the province crumble because of corruption, poor management, and unethical leadership. He is the mayor of King Cetshwayo District Municipality and chairperson of the South African Local Government Association in the province. IFP president, Velenkosini Hlabisa, has described Ntuli as the most equipped, experienced, and committed candidate for the task of good governance in the province. Ntuli says the dream of a prosperous province will only be possible if people vote for the IFP.

# Tennis: Italian Jannik Sinner was congratulated by none other than pope Francis after clinching his first Grand Slam title in the Australian Open. The 22-year-old became the first player from his country to win a Grand Slam trophy in 48 years after Adriano Panatta at the French Open in 1976. Frances complimented Sinner and Italians while he was giving an audience to members of a Spanish tennis club. Sinner, who hails from the German-speaking Alpine region of South Tyrol, pocketed a neat 40-million-rand with his victory in Melbourne.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-80-cents and the euro at 20-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-491-dollars-43-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-30-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….