News 08:00

BULLETIN 2 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Another injured SANDF soldier has died in hospital in the DRC
# Johannesburg’s mayor welcomes the appointment of the Metro Police chief
# And Rugby: Ireland start their Six Nations title defence with a win over England

# The South African National Defence Force has announced that another injured soldier has died in hospital in the the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday, bringing the total to 14. SANDF’s spokesperson, Siphiwe Dlaminis says the 14 soldiers were part of the SANDF contingent deployed to the region as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He says they displayed extraordinary courage in their confrontation with the M23 rebels who had attacked their base:

Meanwhile, a political analyst Kenneth Mokgathle says whilst military intervention is necessary, Africa especially needs a political solution to a long-standing political conundrum in that region. M23 rebels announced that they are fighting to protect ethnic minorities against the DRC government and the fighting over Goma also escalated the direct conflict between Rwanda and DRC regional neighbours. Mokgathle says the ongoing conflict in the region needs urgent intervention:

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has welcomed the appointment of Patrick Jaca as the new Chief of the Johannesburg Metro Police. The city spokesperson, Nthatisi Modingoane the appointment of Jaca, a seasoned law enforcement officer with a wealth of experience and impressive qualifications, marks a significant milestone in the City’s efforts to bolster its safety and security architecture:

# Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that began on 19 January. Yarden Bibas, 34, and Ofer Kalderon, 53, were released in a ceremony in southern Gaza. US-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel, 65, was freed in a separate ceremony in Gaza City yesterday. It is the fourth release of hostages since the ceasefire deal was concluded. The latest three hostages were freed in exchange for more than 180 Palestinian prisoners, who were expected to be released later during the day.

# Rugby: Reigning champions Ireland had to come from behind as they launched their bid for an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title with a hard-fought 27-22 win over England in Dublin on Saturday. The Irish were 10-5 behind at half-time at Lansdowne Road. But tries from Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Dan Sheehan saw Ireland into a seemingly commanding 27-10 lead before Tom Curry and Tommy Freeman went over for England late in the game. In the other games yesterday, Scotland beat Italy 31-19 and France thrashed Wales 43- 0.

Stay tuned for more news………….