News 07:00

BULLETIN 6 February 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The African Transformation Movement demands accountability ahead of SONA
# The Banking Association of South Africa pushes for a review of the financial sector charter
# And golf: There is a strong field for the Cape Town Open

# The African Transformation Movement has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to address South Africa’s pressing crises in the State of the Nation Address. Citing rising murder rates, human trafficking concerns, economic hardship, and crumbling infrastructure, the ATM demands transparency, accountability, and actionable solutions. ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona insists on decisive intervention to restore safety, dignity, and economic stability for all South Africans:

Meanwhile, Stellenbosch Business School Economist Andre Roux hopes the State of the Nation address will mark the beginning of meaningful economic and social reforms that will leave a lasting legacy. Roux urges Rampahosa to go beyond political promises and focus on practical solutions for issues like unemployment, infrastructure, and energy. He calls for a shift away from mediocrity to more ambitious, meaningful progress for sustainable growth:

# The Banking Association of South Africa has urged the government to finalise the review of the Financial Sector Code, which measures transformation efforts in the banking industry. BASA chairperson Mary Vilakazi said the current scorecard inadequately gauges outcomes of Black empowerment and transformation initiatives. Vilakazi emphasised that while banks exceed targets for black ownership and junior management representation, it falls short in senior roles, with only 36-percent of top senior managers being Black, against a 60-percent target.

# The North West Health Department says it will proceed with pauper’s burials if bodies from the Stilfontein mine incident are unclaimed after the identification process. About 80 bodies are being kept in government mortuaries in Klerksdorp, Potchefstroom, and Brits after they were retrieved from an abandoned shaft at the Buffelsfontein gold mine near Klerksdorp last month. Most of the deceased hailed from Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The department says only five families have so far come forward to begin the identification process of the deceased. 

# At least five-thousand-626 people have been killed and more than two-thousand-213 injured in the past year in Haiti, due to the armed gangs who control much of the country. This is according to a new report United Nations. The report documents more than 250 executions carried out by police in 2024. At least 94 cases of rape and sexual exploitation were also documented in the last quarter alone. The UN says with over one-million people displaced, urgent international intervention is vital to stabilising the country.

# Golf: South Africa’s in-form Daniel van Tonder leads a strong field for the Cape Town Open, which tees off at the Royal Cape Golf Club today. His back-to-back wins on the Sunshine Tour in the past two weeks make him a firm contender. The field also includes former champions South Africa’s JC Ritchie, Benjamin Follett-Smith of Zimbabwe, and Irishman Liam Nolan. Another South African, Martin Vorster, is hoping to build on his recent good form:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-55-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-76-dollar-70-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-864-dollars-80-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….