News 07:00

BULLETIN 5 February 7 am

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In this bulletin:

# World Bank says South Africa’s basic education system is being affected by low-quality teaching
# Solidarity warns SA cannot afford to lose AGOA benefits [SOUND]
# And Syria’s interim president is calling for the lifting of US sanctions

# The World Bank says the ability of South Africa’s basic education system to deliver good outcomes efficiently is affected by low-quality teaching and insufficient accountability. It released its latest report on the country on Tuesday. The report states that in 2016, 78-percent of Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning in the country, and this rose to 81-percent by 2021. The World Bank says the government needs to prioritise the foundational years of education and collaborate with the private sector, to improve access to and quality of education.

# Trade union Solidarity says South Africa risks losing its African Growth and Opportunities Act trade benefits with the United States due to poor diplomatic relations. The union blames the government’s ties with China, Russia, and Iran, along with policies like the Expropriation Act, for straining US relations. Solidarity’s Jaco Kleynhans vows to continue lobbying for AGOA’s renewal this year to safeguard over 500-thousand jobs:

# The Congress of South African Trade Unions anticipates president Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address will deliver bold interventions to address various crises. Key demands include stabilising Eskom and Transnet, supporting dysfunctional municipalities, expanding public employment programmes, and transforming the Social Relief of Distress Grant into a Basic Income Grant. Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks emphasised the need for decisive leadership to tackle South Africa’s challenges:

# The Gauteng Government has finalised disciplinary proceedings against nine officials implicated in corruption related to Anglo Ashanti Hospital contracts. Following the Special Investigating Unit recommendations, over the 2022 refurbishment scandal, five officials were dismissed, two received warnings, one was acquitted, and one could not face action as they’ve left the department. Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi emphasised the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability. He highlighted the importance of ensuring all responsible parties are held accountable for misconduct, fraud, and corruption.

# Interim Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has called for US sanctions on his country to be lifted, saying his government aims to restore ties with America. The US, Britain, the European Union, and other governments imposed tough sanctions on Syria after former president Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011 spiralled into civil war. Al-Sharaa says the sanctions pose the gravest risk to Syria and its recovery from civil war. He adds that he believes president Donald Trump seeks peace in the area.

# Hockey: The South African women’s team’s hopes of reaching the FIH Indoor quarterfinals are hanging by a thread in Croatia. This is after they were thrashed ten-nil by world champions Austria on Tuesday, remaining winless after two Pool B matches. They take on Poland in a must-win encounter tomorrow. Meanwhile, South Africa’s men’s team failed to continue their winning ways in Pool A, suffering an eight-six defeat to Austria, leaving them in a battle for second place in the pool against Poland on Thursday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-68-cents and the euro at 19-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-31-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-704-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-849-dollars-60-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-65-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news ………………….