News 08:00

BULLETIN 21 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Godongwana says it could take two years to regain an investment-grade rating
# The FF Plus is calling on Ramaphosa to suspend minister Ntshavheni
# And Donald Trump grants pardon to about a thousand-500 January 6 rioters

# Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says South Africa could be able to regain its investment-grade credit rating within two years. The country obtained a full house of junk ratings in 2020, when Moody’s Ratings downgraded its debt assessment, leaving it without an investment-grade evaluation for the first time in 25 years. In an interview with the SABC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Godongwana says the government is focused on implementing structural reforms to lift the country’s potential economic growth rate:

# The Freedom Front Plus says president Cyril Ramaphosa needs to demonstrate that he takes his promises to eradicate corruption seriously by immediately suspending minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. This comes as the Hawks have finalised their investigation into a 2.5-million-rand tender involving Ntshavheni, while she was the municipal manager of Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality in Limpopo in 2009. She is accused of awarding an irregular contract to an accounting, which ballooned in value. The FF Plus says these allegations against the minister are serious and concerning.

# The GOOD Party has welcomed the investigation into the leak of the City of Tshwane’s audit report for the 2023/2024 financial year, which shows it received yet another qualified audit opinion. The Auditor-General Tsakane Maluleke is only due to serve the report before the council next Thursday. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says given the findings in the report, it is reassured of its decision to support a leadership change in the metro in September last year:

# US president Donald Trump has signed several executive orders including revoking 78 of his predecessor Joe Biden’s policies. He has pardoned about one-thousand-500 defendants charged in the January 6 2021 attack on the Capitol and issued six commutations. By pardoning the defendants, Trump has granted full clemency to people already convicted of felony crimes like assaulting police and destroying property. Trump also signed executive orders declaring illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border a national emergency.

# Cricket: The Paarl Royals recorded their third consecutive win after defeating the Joburg Super Kings by six wickets to move back to the top of the SA20 table. Jonny Bairstow scored 60 and Bjorn Fortuin took two wickets as the Super Kings were restricted to 146 for six. In reply, Mitchell van Buuren shared a match-winning 71-run fourth-wicket partnership with captain David Miller, as the Royals reached the target in 19.1 overs. Fortuin says they are in a good position as they get closer to the playoffs:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-56-cents and the euro at 19-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-760-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-724-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….