News 09:00

BULLETIN 6 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Mantashe is criticised for suggesting South Africans are too dependent on government
# The Road Freight Association is cautiously optimistic as 2026 begins with a fuel price relief
# And soccer: Egypt and Nigeria are through to the AFCON quarterfinals

# Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, is facing criticism following his comments that South Africans have become overly reliant on the state. In an interview with the SABC, Mantashe emphasised that the ANC government’s policies have inadvertently fostered passivity, where citizens expect the government to solve problems for them. He added that greater citizen participation could help the country reach its potential:

# The Road Freight Association is encouraged by the recently announced decreases in the basic fuel prices, saying it remains cautiously optimistic that this trend will continue into the year. From Wednesday, petrol users will see prices decrease by 62-66 cents per litre, while diesel drivers will see a much larger cut between 137 and 150 cents per litre. The association’s CEO, Gavin Kelly, says the decrease will allow breathing space for the transport sector and for macro financial pressures to ease:

# The GOOD Party has welcomed the Labour Court’s judgment, ordering the reinstatement of councillor Wesley Neumann as principal at Heathfield High School. Acting Judge de Kock set aside Neumann’s dismissal and replaced the sanction with a final written warning. The case stems from the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when Neumann refused to reopen schools amidst escalating safety concerns. GOOD’s secretary-general, Brett Herron, says this case stands as a damning indictment of the Western Cape Education Department:

#  A Paris court on Monday found 10 people guilty of the cyber-harassment of France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, for spreading false claims that she is a transgender woman who was born male. Brigitte and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, have long faced such falsehoods, including allegations that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother.  Monday’s ruling marks a victory for the Macrons as they pursue a separate high-profile US defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer and podcaster Candace Owens, who has also claimed Brigitte was born male.

# Soccer: Seven-time champions Egypt booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations after defeating Benin 3-1 in extra time, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Egypt scored two goals in extra time, including one from star player Mohamed Salah, which saw the Pharaohs set up a clash between the winner of today’s tie between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Meanwhile, Nigeria cruised into the quarterfinals with an emphatic 4–0 victory over Mozambique and will face either Algeria or DR Congo.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-33-cents and the euro at 19-rand-16-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-14-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-820-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-465-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-45-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….