News 09:00

BULLETIN 25 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa will open the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders
# The MK Party will present the inaugural Jacob Zuma lecture in April
# And Emmanuel Macron says a Ukraine peace deal must come with credible guarantees

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will give the keynote address at the annual opening of the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders in Parliament, Cape Town, today. In his state of the nation address, the president reasserted the government’s commitment to work with traditional leaders in the implementation of local development programmes. The presidency says Ramaphosa has reaffirmed the government’s collaboration with the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders as a vital conduit for creating jobs, reducing poverty and improving the lives of South Africans. 

# The MK Party has announced the inaugural Jacob Zuma lecture will take place on 12 April at the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng, marking the former president’s birthday. According to the party, the lecture aims to highlight Zuma’s contributions to South Africa, countering narratives that his leadership years were wasted. MK Party secretary general, Floyd Shivambu, told the media, the event will be attended by dignitaries from across Africa, including royal houses, religious leaders, and business representatives:

# Limpopo police have launched an urgent manhunt for a suspect who raped four students at a Bolobedu college residence. The attack occurred on Saturday when a 20-year-old student fetching water was confronted by an armed man. The suspect robbed valuables before fleeing. Police spokesperson, Stephen Thakeng, says investigations are underway and calls for community assistance for a swift arrest:

# French president Emmanuel Macron says any peace deal in Ukraine must come with security guarantees to ensure Russia keeps its promises this time around. Macron met with US president Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, as the leaders sought to smooth over a transatlantic rift to achieve peace. Macron says Europe was prepared to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire including peacekeepers. He warned of Russia’s poor track record in keeping its international commitments:

# Soccer: Manchester United says up to 200 more jobs may be made redundant in a bid to improve the club’s financial sustainability and enhance operational efficiency. Last year, 250 jobs were cut. United had revenue of 4.6-billion-rand from October to December in comparison to 5.3-billion-rand the year before. The transformation plan will also see the end of free staff lunches at Old Trafford. CEO Omar Berrada says the plan aims to return the club to profitability after five consecutive years of losses since 2019.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-23-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-19-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-287-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-937-dollars-16-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….