News 09:00

BULLETIN 27 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A political analyst says the ANC is its own biggest opposition
# A call is made for an increase in state doctors’ salaries
# And motorsport, the outcome of the probe into Red Bull’s team boss is expected soon

# Instead of self-correcting, as it has promised countless times in party documents and resolutions adopted in conferences, the ANC embarked on a path of self-harm. This is according to political analyst, Mpumelelo Mkhabela, who believes the ruling party has allowed corruption and incompetence to be the defining features of government. In an opinion piece for News24, he says the ANC election manifesto is designed to appeal to the disgruntled, as the party says it commits to correcting its mistakes if given another chance to govern. Mkhabela says the ANC is its own biggest opposition.

# The South African Medical Association has called for an increase in the salaries of state doctors. The association says doctors in public clinics and hospitals earn far less than their counterparts in the private sector. Health economist Sandile Mhlongo supports this call, adding that pay equality will help address imbalances:

# The DA in Gauteng says it is concerning that restaurants, bars, and tavern owners who need liquor licences are struggling to submit their applications to the Gauteng Liquor Board. This is reportedly due to load-shedding and a faulty generator. The DA’s Patrick Atkinson, says they have been reliably informed that there is a backlog of 600 applications at the Gauteng Liquor Board:

# Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has tendered his resignation to facilitate the establishment of a broad consensus among Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. However, president Mahmoud Abbas has not yet accepted his resignation. Abbas seeks Palestinian Authority governance in Gaza, yet faces opposition from both Palestinians and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move reportedly signals openness to reforms amid ongoing international negotiations for a ceasefire. Economist Mohammad Mustafa is expected to be appointed as the next prime minister.

# Motorsport: The outcome of an independent investigation into Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, is reportedly set to be made public before this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. He was probed following an allegation of inappropriate behaviour made against him by a female colleague, which he denies. According to reports, the extensive investigation report is now in the hands of the Red Bull board, who will ultimately decide whether Horner remains in his dual roles of team principal and chief executive.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-28-cents and the euro at 20-rand-93-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-46-cents and Bitcoin trades at 55-thousand-969-dollars-48-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-34-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….