News 09:00

BULLETIN 5 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Geordin Hill-Lewis is seen as the frontrunner in the DA’s leadership race
# MISA welcomes South Africa’s inclusion in the extension of AGOA
# And, the British prime minister says he regrets appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador

# Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is emerging as the front-runner to become the DA’s next leader. This as John Steenhuisen, who has led the DA since 2019, won’t stand for a third term at the party’s elective congress in April. The formal application process for the elective congress opens on 27 February. Hill-Lewis has drawn praise for his management of the metro. Other names mentioned for the top job include the party’s Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga and mayor of uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, Chris Pappas.

# The Motor Industry Staff Association has welcomed South Africa’s inclusion in the African Growth and Opportunity Act extension, calling it essential for the country’s vehicle and automotive parts exports. Agoa, a critical trade agreement that provides duty-free access to US markets for thousands of African products, has been extended for one year. MISA’s spokesperson, Sonja Carstens, says between August 2024 and Agoa’s expiration, South Africa’s vehicle and parts exports to the US plummeted by 55-percent year-on-year:

# The Department of Water and Sanitation has issued a dam safety directive to Shamile Community Property Association, owner of Senteeko dam in Mpumalanga, to immediately undertake action to stabilise the dam and prevent further deterioration. This follows technical assessments that confirmed that the dam remained in a compromised and partially failed condition. The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, says following heavy rainfall in January, the dam’s spillway structure suffered severe and irreversible deterioration:

# British prime minister Keir Starmer has admitted that he knew about Peter Mandelson’s longer-term relationship with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, before appointing him as US ambassador. The former Labour minister is being investigated over his apparent leaking of market-sensitive information and Downing Street emails to Epstein while serving in government. Starmer says Mandelson betrayed the country in his dealings with Epstein:

# Soccer: Manchester City cruised into their tenth Carabao Cup final after beating holders Newcastle United 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium to win 5-1 on aggregate in their second-leg semifinal. Already 2-0 up from the first leg, City tightened their grip with a double from Omar Marmoush and a goal from Tijjani Reijnders to seal the victory for Pep Guardiola’s side. Anthony Elanga scored the only goal for Newcastle. City will face Arsenal in the final on March 22nd at Wembley.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-13-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-98-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-783-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-882-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….