News 09:00

BULLETIN 25 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cyril Ramaphosa says government is not privatising South Africa’s state-owned entities
# The DA requests minister De Lille to urgently appear before Parliament over the collape of South African Tourism
# And, a Russian air attack knocks out power for over a million Ukrainians

# ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa says government is not privatising state-owned entities, but rather restructuring them to improve efficiency, financial stability, and performance. Ramaphosa addressed the ANC’s annual national executive committee Lekgotla in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni. He says government have embarked on the structural transformation of those parts of the economy that enable economic activity, including electricity, logistics, water and telecommunications:

# The DA has written to the chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on Tourism, Ronalda Nalumango requesting that Tourism minister, Patricia de Lille, and South African Tourism urgently appear before Parliament. The party says this to account for ongoing governance collapse at the entity. The DA’s Haseena Ismail says the continued withholding of TOMSA levies owed by the private sector until governance and accountability failures are addressed, is a clear indication that confidence in SA Tourism has significantly deteriorated:

# Rand Water is aware of a WhatsApp audio clip circulating on social media claiming that the Vaal Dam has been poisoned and that tap water should not be consumed unless it is first boiled. Spokesperson Makenosi Maroon says Rand Water categorically dismisses these claims as false and misleading. She says Rand Water abstracts raw water from the Vaal Dam, which undergoes a comprehensive treatment process before being supplied to consumers:

# The Western Cape police has strongly condemned the shooting incident that claimed the lives of three young people in Samora Machel, in Cape Town yesterday. Police spokesperson Andrè Traut says the victims were seated in car when they were approached by unknown suspects who opened fire before fleeing the scene. He says three victims between the ages of 16 and 21 were declared deceased at the scene, while a fourth victim was injured and taken to hospital:

# Russia launched another vast attack on Ukraine’s energy system yesterday rocking the capital Kyiv with explosions throughout the night and leaving 1.2-million properties without power countrywide during subzero winter cold. Over three-thousand buildings were without heating last night as temperatures hovered around -10 degrees Celsius.  Moscow carried out the strikes as trilateral U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine continued into a second day in the United Arab Emirates, later adjourning with no sign of a compromise.

# And Golf: Haydn Porteous is hunting his first victory of the new year as he takes a three-stroke lead into today’s final round of the Cell C Challenge in honour of Gary Player at the Killarney Country Club. Porteous, who has led from the first round, maintained his challenge with a third round of 68 on Saturday which lifted him to 14 under par overall. His nearest challengers are Kieron van Wyk and Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith on 11 under par.

Stay tuned for more news………….