News 09:00

BULLETIN 13 February 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Homeless people’s participation in the elections is a critical issue
# Business Leadership SA says crime and corruption are major concerns for the business sector
# And, an inmate serving a life sentence for rape and kidnapping has escaped from the Mamelodi Hospital

# U-turn Homeless Ministries is concerned over the general apathy shown towards the upcoming elections among the homeless. CEO Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt emphasises the participation of homeless people in the electoral process is a critical issue that needs attention. He acknowledges the challenges faced by homeless people in registering to vote. Fitt stresses the importance of including homeless people in the democratic process, highlighting the need for their voices to be heard and their rights to be recognised:

# Business Leadership South Africa says crime and corruption are major challenges for business, with construction mafias and business forums extorting businesses across the country. In the period leading up to 2022, up to 63-billion-rand worth of projects were reported delayed or cancelled as a result of the extortion tactics and disruptions posed by construction mafias. The organisation’s CEO, Busisiwe Mavuso, says what is urgently needed is a substantial improvement in the performance of crime intelligence, investigations, and ultimately prosecutions.

# The Department of Correctional Services together with other law enforcement agencies, are conducting a widespread search operation for an offender who escaped from the grounds of the Mamelodi Regional Hospital in Pretoria yesterday. Clatta Gumbo was admitted as an offender in August 2018. The department’s spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, says Gumbo is serving a life sentence for rape, kidnapping, and assault at the Baviaanspoort Correctional Centre in Tshwane:

# In what is billed as the world’s biggest single-day election, more than 200 million eligible voters will head to the polls in Indonesia tomorrow. The presidential race is a three-way contest with former army general, Prabowo Subianto, who is running for president for a third time, and currently leads the polls. The other two main candidates are former governors, Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan. Voters will also select some 20-thousand national and provincial lawmakers. Outgoing president, Joko Widodo, is constitutionally barred from seeking a consecutive third term.

# Tennis: Two-time defending champion, Iga Swiatek, eased past Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, 6-1, 6-1, in the second round of the Qatar Open in Doha. The Pole is seeking to become the first to win the title three times. Four-time Japanese major champion, Naomi Osaka, won her first-round tie, 7-5, 6-4, against France’s Caroline Garcia. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, a two-time winner of the tournament, beat Poland’s Magdalena Frech. Swiatek, who started her 90th week as world number one yesterday, says she is proud of her achievements:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-92-cents and the euro at 20-rand-37-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-87-cents and Bitcoin trades at 49-thousand-980-dollars-74-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-18-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-2-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….