News 07:00

BULLETIN 20 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC must decide on the future of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal
# RISE Mzansi wants the National Gambling Board to reform
# And Joe Biden says the guns in Gaza have gone silent

# The ANC says it has to be balanced when deciding whether to disband or strengthen its structures in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The party’s national executive committee held a two-day meeting over the weekend in Boksburg. The two provinces were the ANC’s biggest losers at last year’s May 29 general elections. ANC’s spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, says there were other factors taken into consideration concerning the two provinces, such as whether there were strong political strategies and functional branches:

# RISE Mzansi says it has dispatched a letter to the National Gambling Board for the attention of its CEO, Caroline Kongwa, requesting a meeting to discuss what is becoming a runaway gambling crisis. RISE Mzansi’s Makashule Gana says in the 2023/2024 financial year, South Africans spent 1.1-trillion-rand and the Gross Gambling Revenue for the year was just under 60-billion-rand, which is 25,7-percent more compared to the 2022/23 financial year:

# The DA in Gauteng says residents are in danger of becoming food insecure due to the lack of support provided by the provincial government to farmers. The DA’s Bronwynn Engelbrecht says the latest gross domestic product data on the agriculture sector reveals that agriculture recorded a staggering 28.8-percent decline in the third quarter of 2024, pulling GDP growth down by 0.7-percent. She says agriculture is the backbone of food security:

# Limpopo premier Phophi Ramathuba says a suspect that has been arrested in connection with the rape of two nurses from the Ga-Chuene Clinic, has been linked to more than ten serious cases. It is alleged that armed men stormed the clinic and abducted the two nurses earlier this month after holding security guards at gunpoint. The nurses were attacked and raped. The 27-year-old suspect, who is facing multiple charges, including robbery and possession of stolen property, will appear at the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court today. 

# US president Joe Biden says after so much pain, destruction, and loss of life, the guns in Gaza have gone silent. This comes after Hamas handed over three Israeli female hostages on Sunday, the first of 33 to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while aid trucks have crossed into the enclave. Biden says the release of hostages is a result of a principled and effective policy that they have presided over for months:

# Cricket: Defending champions the Sunrisers Eastern Cape defeated Durban’s Super Giants by six wickets in their SA20 encounter in Gqeberha. Despite Kane Williamson’s 44 off 45 balls, the Super Giants could only post 115 for eight after choosing to bat first. Marco Jansen, Richard Gleeson, Ottniel Baartman, and Liam Dawson claimed two wickets each. In reply, David Bedingham scored 39 off 20 balls as the Sunrisers reached the target in 15.2 overs, making this their second straight win of the tournament after losing their opening three fixtures.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-72-cents and the euro at 19-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 100-thousand-478-dollar-80-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-692-dollars-39-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-85-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….