News 07:00

BULLETIN 11 February 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Paul Mashatile says the government is committed to addressing the concerns of young people 
# The DA has high expectations for the State of the Nation Address
# And, the Gauteng Education Department reaches an agreement with the striking scholar transport operators

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says young people are South Africa’s beating pulse and are not passive observers of the national mood. He engaged with young people and youth formations in Khayelitsha yesterday as part of the National Youth Development Agency’s Presidential Youth Roundtable. Mashatile says the government wants to resolve issues on the economy, education, healthcare, as well as on climate change and any other issue that young people consider necessary. He adds that today’s generation of young people is infused with moral clarity and a sense of purpose.

# The DA says it has very high expectations for president Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday to deliver reforms and actions, not plans and proposals. The party, which is part of the government of national unity, says the time for plans and proposals, visions and hopes, has long passed. The DA’s national spokesperson, Jan de Villiers, says real reforms are essential to set South Africa’s economy on a path to create jobs and prosperity:

# Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane calls for tough action on crime and bold economic reforms in the state of the nation address on Thursday. Maimane told the media that South Africa cannot grow or create jobs while crime remains out of control. He argued that political arrangements within the government of national unity have failed to bring meaningful change, leaving the same policies and lack of accountability intact:

# The Gauteng Education Department has reached an agreement with scholar transport service providers, following a breakthrough in negotiations. The disgruntled operators have been on strike for two weeks over non-payment. The strike affected about 238-thousand pupils who rely on approximately three-thousand buses operated by 250 contracted service providers. MEC Matome Chiloane says operators have received a portion of their outstanding payments:

# The European Union has condemned Israel’s measures to tighten its control of the West Bank, saying the measures are another step in the wrong direction. The measures aim to increase Israeli control over the territory in terms of property law, planning, licensing, and enforcement. Israel’s Defence minister, Israel Katz, says they will continue to kill the idea of a Palestinian state. The EU says sanctions are still on the table, including the possible suspension of some parts of the EU-Israel trade agreement.

# Olympics: Ukrainian skier Vladyslav Heraskevych won’t be allowed to wear his so-called remembrance helmet when he participates at the Milano Cortina Winter Games in Italy. The helmet features pictures of children killed since Russia’s invasion in 2022. The International Olympic Committee says it fully understands athletes’ desire to remember friends who died in the conflict, but Heraskevych’s helmet contravenes the guidelines. He would be allowed to wear a plain black armband when competing.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-92-cents and the euro at 18-rand-95-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-895-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-37-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-65-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….