News 08:00

BULLETIN 16 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa welcomes the temporary Israel-Hamas ceasefire
# AfriForum urges legal action against the implementation of NHI
# And Airlink and CemAir reassure their customers that they don’t overbook flights

# South Africa has welcomed the temporary ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, saying this is a crucial first step toward ending the severe humanitarian crisis faced by the 2.3-million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire, which will come into effect on Sunday, will include the release of 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, says all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza must be lifted:

# AfriForum warns that National Health Insurance implementation requires decisive legal action and public pressure. AfriForum’s Louis Boshoff says despite reports of a compromised NHI proposal, Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi insists the plan remains unchanged. He accuses the ANC of spreading confusion and vows to challenge NHI’s constitutionality, arguing its ideological commitment ignores financial and practical concerns:

# Airlink and CemAir have distanced themselves from competitor FlySafair’s practice of overbooking flights. In recent weeks FlySafair has come under scrutiny after admitting to engaging in flight overbooking practices to maintain affordable ticket prices. CemAir says flights are sold only to the aircraft’s seating capacity and overselling flights amounts to unethical business practice. It adds that FlySafair’s contention that all local airlines indulge in this practice is a baseless fabrication.

# Shell South Africa’s Alberton depot is advancing sustainability with solar power, battery energy storage, and biofuels projects. Terminal manager Fikile Nxumalo emphasises Shell’s dedication to reducing its carbon footprint and embracing renewable energy. Nxumalo notes that these efforts align with Shell’s broader journey toward sustainability and future-proofing operations. Despite being part of businesses sold, Alberton will continue to play a vital role in Shell’s downstream operations ensuring uninterrupted services.

# Cricket: Rising star Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ batting performance helped Paarl Royals beat MI Cape Town by six wickets in Paarl, to move up to third in the SA20 standings. Rassie van der Dussen’s unbeaten 91 saw MI Cape Town post a competitive score of 158 for four in their 20 overs. In reply, 18-year-old Pretorius scored 83 from 52 balls, smashing three sixes and eight boundaries, as the home team reached the target in 19 overs. Pretorius says the conditions were perfect:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-78-cents and the euro at 19-rand-31-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 99-thousand-573-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-696-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-31-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….