News 09:00

BULLETIN 22 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasises the importance of the relationship between South Africa and America
# The Independent Electoral Commission faces uncertainty over the number of contesting parties and ballot size
# And, the European Commission welcomes new sanctions against Russia

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s relationship with the US is characterised by mutual respect and a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue even on issues where they may differ. He received a visit from a bipartisan congressional delegation from the US in Cape Town, yesterday. The delegation is in the country at the invitation of the Aspen Institute. The presidency says the delegation discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries, the importance of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

# The Independent Electoral Commission has acknowledged challenges in preparing for this year’s general and provincial elections after president Cyril Ramaphosa set May 29 for the polls. Chief Electoral Official Sy Mamabolo cites uncertainty over the number of contesting parties and independents, impacting ballot paper size. He says with over 27.4-million registered voters, the IEC faces logistical hurdles amidst evolving electoral dynamics:

# Western Cape MEC of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, has expressed concerns over the equitable division of revenue allocated to provinces from the national government. The Provincial Equitable Share accounts for approximately 75-percent of the budget while conditional grants amount to approximately 18-percent of the total budget. Wenger says they remain concerned about how the provincial equitable share funding from the national government is calculated. She says the Western Cape is the third-largest province in the country by population, but only gets the fifth-largest budget allocation.

# The European Commission has welcomed the approval of a 13th package of sanctions against Russia by the European Union members. The sanctions include the banning of 200 additional entities and individuals accused of being involved in the invasion of Ukraine. The focus is on entities and individuals that are part of Russia’s military-industrial complex, and those involved in the trafficking and kidnapping of Ukrainian children. European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, says they must keep degrading Russian president Vladamir Putin’s war machine.

# Motorsport: Mercedes Formula One boss, Toto Wolff, says they are comfortable with the legality of their innovative front wing design on the new car. The front wing has been under scrutiny during pre-season testing in Bahrain because of how it will influence the airflow around the car. It seems the team has found a loophole two years after F1’s regulations were changed to ban detached wing elements. Wolff says they had discussions with the FIA during the conception of the front wing:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-92-cents and the euro at 20-rand-50-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-92-cents and Bitcoin trades at 51-thousand-569-dollars-81-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-26-dollars-92-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….