News 08:00

BULLETIN 28 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa and Rwandan president agree on the urgent need for a ceasefire in the DRC
# COPE calls on Ramaphosa to address the nation on the death of SA soldiers in the DRC 
# The DA federal council will outline its key political strategies today

# The Presidency says president Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to discuss the recent developments in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the escalation in fighting. This follows the death of nine South African National Defence Force soldiers last week during intense fighting with the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group in the war-torn region. The Presidency says the two heads of state have agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict.

Meanwhile the Congress of the People says as the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence Force, Ramaphosa must take full accountability for the deployment of soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The troops were part of the peacekeeping missions by the United Nations and the Southern African Development Community. COPE says it is unacceptable that the SANDF were sent into a volatile and escalating conflict without adequate resources, training and support.

# The DA will today outline key political strategies following its federal council meeting. Council leaders John Steenhuisen, Ivan Meyer, and Helen Zille, will address preparations for the upcoming local government elections and recent political developments. The council, the party’s highest policy-making body outside of federal Congress, will outline key updates ahead of the elections. The DA is unhappy with the workings of the Government of National Unity after president Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act without consulting GNU partners. Several ministers and their deputies are also at loggerheads. 

# Western Cape Mobility MEC, Isaac Sileku, says the 15.24-percent reduction in road fatalities over the festive season is a testament to the dedication of traffic officers, enforcement partners, and road safety educators. For the period from the first of December 2024 to the 11th of January 2025, 139 people lost their lives on the roads in the province, while the number of fatal crashes dropped from 142 to 123. Sileku says pedestrians account for the highest number of fatalities, followed by passengers and then drivers:

# Cricket: SA20 log leaders Paarl Royals defeated Durban’s Super Giants by six wickets, their fifth consecutive win at Boland Park in Paarl. This is the first time a team has won all their home games in the competition. The Super Giants posted 143 for seven. In reply, a second-wicket partnership of 91 by Rubin Hermann and Lhuan-dre Pretorius helped the Royals win, ending Super Giants’ hopes of reaching the playoffs. Super Giants captain, Keshav Maharaj, says he is proud of his team:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-83-cents and the euro at 19-rand-65-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-279-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-739-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….