News 09:00

BULLETIN 17 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA is concerned about the country’s prisons’ lack of adequate perimeter fencing
# The ANC condemns the murder of a gay imam
# And Gautrain services between Park Station and Rosebank have been affected by illegal drilling

# The DA says it is concerning that nearly half of South Africa’s correctional facilities lack adequate perimeter fencing. A parliamentary question reply from minister for Correctional Services, Pieter Groenewald, revealed that an estimated one-billion-rand is required to address the fencing deficiencies at 120 prisons nationwide. The DA’s, Kabelo Kgobisa-Ngcaba, says the lack of specific completion dates for any of these projects, attributed to funding uncertainties, raises serious concerns:

# The ANC says it is outraged at the brutal murder of Imam Muhsin Hendricks, a respected religious leader and human rights advocate. Often described as the world’s first openly gay imam, the 58-year-old was gunned down in Bethelsdorp, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape on Saturday. Hendricks was the founder of the Inner Circle and in 2011 established the LGBTQ+ inclusive Masjidul Ghurbaah mosque. The ANC’s spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri says Hendricks dedicated his life to fostering inclusivity:

# Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, has strongly condemned the damage to Gautrain infrastructure, warning that those responsible will face serious consequences. This comes after an illegal drilling on private property situated above a section of tunnel caused soil and water to leak into it. This affected Gautrain services between Park Station and Rosebank over the weekend. Gautrain’s spokesperson, Albi Modise, says train service between the two stations remains suspended, while repairs are ongoing:

# Rugby: Utility forwards Catha Jacobs and Lerato Makua have joined the Springbok Women’s training camp at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport in the Western Cape. Jacobs, with 19 Test caps to her name, is in the final phase of recovery after suffering a hamstring injury, while Makua has completed her rehabilitation following knee surgery last year. This is the fourth training camp this year, as the team builds toward the World Cup in England in August.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-35-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-271-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-903-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Edward Berger’s Vatican-set thriller, Conclave, won four BAFTA Film Awards including best film and outstanding British film, the first time a movie has won both awards in the same year since 2019. It also won adapted screenplay and editing. The Brutalist, about a Hungarian modernist architect working in post-war America, scored four awards including best director for Brady Corbet, and leading actor for Adrien Brody. Mikey Madison won leading actress for Anora, while Emilia Peréz won best film not in the English language and supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña.

Stay tuned for more news………….