News 08:00

BULLETIN 25 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The ANC’s budget expectations include fiscal stability and structural reform
# Gwede Mantashe says the Ekapa Mine operation is complex and dangerous
# And, Zelensky hopes Ukraine can join the EU by 2027

# The ANC says minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, will table the 2026 national budget in Parliament today from a position of renewed economic momentum and growing confidence. As inflation has moderated, the rand has strengthened, and the country has recorded its first major credit ratings upgrade in 16-years. The ANC says it expects the budget to consolidate fiscal stability, accelerate structural reform, and decisively advance inclusive growth, job creation, and social protection. It adds that it remains committed to advancing a capable developmental state that balances fiscal prudence with transformation.

# Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has defended the foot-and-mouth disease task team amid scrutiny from members of Parliament over its mandate and secrecy. Speaking before Parliament’s portfolio committee on Agriculture, Steenhuisen said the team is made up of veterinary and scientific experts who provide technical advice to guide the government’s response. He added that sensitive vaccine information requires confidentiality, and the team is helping, not replacing, existing government structures:

# Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, has described the operation to recover the bodies of five miners trapped in a mud rush at the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, Northern Cape, as complex and dangerous. Last week Tuesday, a sudden mud rush engulfed part of the mine, trapping the five miners. Mantashe told a joint sitting of parliamentary committees that since the incident, approximately one-thousand cubic metres of water have been drained from the mine in an effort to stabilise conditions and allow recovery operations to proceed.

# President Volodymyr Zelensky says a European Union membership would be a guarantee of Ukraine’s future security after a peace deal is signed. The EU is considering ways to give Kyiv at least some of the benefits of membership before it has introduced all the many economic, democratic, and judicial reforms required for full accession. Yesterday marked four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky says he hopes Ukraine can join the EU by 2027:

# Soccer: Banyana Banyana had to come from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Lesotho in their final Group A match of the COSAFA Women’s Championship in Polokwane, but still topped the pool with seven points. Makhotso Moalusi put Lesotho ahead in the 30th minute; however, South Africa responded quickly in the 38th minute through Thorisho Mphelo to level the match. In the second half, both sides had chances but could not capitalise, with the match ending in a draw. Banyana Banyana will face Zimbabwe in the semifinals on Friday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-92-cents and the euro at 18-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-54-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 65-thousand-631-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-184-dollars-76-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….