News 08:00

BULLETIN 11 January, 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cyril Ramaphosa says the ANC anniversary is an opportunity to reflect 
#  The Public Servants Association  calls on government to urgently institute prosecutions on all statutory rape cases
# And,  SA Rugby makes history with the appointment of Laurian Johannes-Haupt 

# ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says the party’s 113th anniversary allows one to reflect on its history, achievements and setbacks. He gave the keynote address at the party’s presidential gala dinner in Cape Town on Friday evening, ahead of the January 8 Statement today. Ramaphosa says the anniversary is also an opportunity to outline what actions they must take to advance the struggle for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa:

# The Public Servants Association says it is concerning that progressive legislations have been promulgated but the scourge of teenage pregnancy is still thriving in the country. According to statistics, more than 122-thousand teenagers gave birth this past financial year, with two-thousand-716 young girls aged ten to 14. It was recorded that 80 teenagers gave birth on the first of January this year. The association says government must investigate and prosecute those who partake in concealing these pregnancies by facilitating negotiations between the families, irrespective of their stature in the community.

# The DA has renewed its call for rural safety units following a brutal farm attack on the Vos family in Musina, in Limpopo. The family, including three children, were tortured and injured, requiring hospital care. The party also called for more police reservists to improve rural safety. While commending police and farm watch for their swift response, the DA’s Marie Helm urged police to intensify efforts to arrest the suspects:

# US job gains soared past expectations in December, in a sign the labor market remains healthy just shortly before president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration this month. Hiring in the world’s biggest economy was 256-thousand last month, up from a revised 212-thousand in November. The December figure was significantly above the market consensus estimate of 154-thousand. The unemployment rate meanwhile crept down to 4.1-percent from 4.2-percent. The better-than-expected job growth could lead the Federal Reserve to be slower in cutting interest rates this year, as officials work to bring down inflation sustainably.

# Rugby: Former Junior Springbok Women head coach, Laurian Johannes-Haupt, has joined SA Rugby in a full-time capacity as Springbok Women’s assistant coach. She is the first full-time female rugby coach involved with a national team in the organisation’s ranks. The 40-year-old represented the Springbok Women at the 2010 Rugby World Cup and played in 12 Tests before retiring in 2014. Johannes-Haupt says she is keen to continue growing the women’s game, something she is now better placed to do:

Stay tuned for more news………….