News 09:00

BULLETIN 14 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Ramaphosa to attend the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU 
# Parliament’s Higher Education committee concerned about governance at the National Skills Fund
# And DENOSA highlights staff crisis at Tembisa Hospital and provincial healthcare 

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will be travelling to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia this weekend, for the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. The AU’s designated theme for this year is, Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations. Ramaphosa says the meeting of the assembly is taking place at a critical time as African countries are facing serious challenges:

# Parliament’s portfolio committee on Higher Education has expressed concern over the ongoing decline of the National Skills Fund, saying the entity is not on track to resolve its systemic challenges. The fund recorded a significant underspending of 3.7-billion-rand during the 2023/2024 financial year. Committee chairperson, Tebogo Letsie, says the underspending is particularly alarming given the country’s high youth unemployment rate. He adds that it is clear that the fund is ill-equipped to make a meaningful contribution to addressing the country’s skills deficit. 

# The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa in  Gauteng has sounded the alarm over various challenges facing Tembisa Hospital. This includes operating with less than half its required staff, worsening working conditions, and no permanent CEO for over two years. DENOSA’s Bongani Banda says the crisis reflects broader provincial healthcare challenges. He demands urgent recruitment, improved working conditions, and absorption of community service nurses and doctors:

# The GOOD Party says the DA-led government in the Western Cape has failed to address the culture of gangsterism on the Cape Flats. This week, seven people were shot dead within 12 hours in separate incidents across Cape Town, that are suspected to be gang-related. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says premier Alan Winde and mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis must explain what comprehensive plans they have to fix the Cape Flats:

# Tennis: Five-time Grand Slam champion, Iga Swiatek, is still on course for a fourth successive Qatar Open title in Doha, after securing her spot in the semifinals. The world number two from Poland defeated Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 6-2, 7-5, to record her 15th straight win at the tournament. Swiatek will face Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals, after she beat Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, 6-2, 6-2. The other semifinal will see in-form Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia taking on American Amanda Anisimova.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-47-cents and the euro at 19-rand-33-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-20-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-909-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-925-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-67-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….