News 08:00

BULLETIN 18 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Steenhuisen says the DA’s rescue plan for South Africa is not pie in the sky
# Alexei Navalny is likened to Nelson Mandela
# And, rugby: Wins for the Stormers and the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship

# DA leader John Steenhuisen says unlike most other parties contesting this year’s national and provincial elections, the DA’s rescue plan for South Africa is not pie in the sky. He addressed supporters during the party’s manifesto launch at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Steenhuisen says it is easy for parties that have no track record in government to get on a stage and read out a list of impossible promises that they know can never be delivered:

Steenhuisen adds for the first time in South African democratic history, support for the ANC is set to crash well below 50-percent. According to the DA leader, the ANC is a party in terminal decline. It was already on its knees when former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party entered the fray. Steenhuisen says MKP is devouring millions of ANC votes, with only president Cyril Ramaphosa to blame:

# Western leaders have reacted with outrage to the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Some have directly put the blame on president Vladimir Putin after the 47-year-old activist passed away while serving a 30-year sentence in a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle on Friday. Navalny was one of Putin’s harshest critics. Reports say his supporters considered him Russia’s Nelson Mandela. According to prison authorities, Navalny fell ill while on a walk, while his family says he was in good health before his death. 

# Rugby: The Stormers have extended their winning streak against their South African rivals in the United Rugby Championship. They beat the Sharks 25-21 at a packed Kings Park. The Stormers’ dominance over local teams stretches back to 2021. In Johannesburg, the Bulls achieved their second victory over the Lions this season. The Pretoria team scored three tries in the second half for the bonus-point win after only leading by 5-3 at half-time.

# And on a sad note: Former cricket all-rounder Mike Procter has died aged 77. His family says he passed away yesterday from complications during surgery. Procter played seven Tests for South Africa before the country was banned from international cricket in 1970 because of apartheid. He spent 14 seasons with English club Gloucestershire and later coached South Africa on their international return. Procter also served as an International Cricket Council match referee.

Stay tuned for more news………….