News 11:00

BULLETIN 6 February 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Police are investigating a possible syndicate seeking to silence Madlanga commission witnesses
# The US military strikes another alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two people
# And soccer: Bafana Bafana will play Panama in two international friendlies as part of their World Cup preparation

# Police are investigating a possible syndicate seeking to silence witnesses before the Madlanga commission. This follows an attempted hit on Wiandré Pretorius in Boksburg yesterday. He was implicated in testimony by the late Witness D, Marius van der Merwe. This comes two months after Van der Merwe’s killing. Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni says they are willing to provide witness protection for any witness appearing before the commission:

# The Institute of Race Relations says economic growth must be South Africa’s top priority. They link high unemployment and persistent poverty to years of stagnation. The institute’s new blueprint for growth paper outlines practical reforms to boost investment, create jobs, and increase incomes within 18-months. Spokesperson Terence Corrigan says the plan avoids vague or gimmicky measures, focusing instead on structural changes to restore confidence in the economy:

# The Gauteng government says it rejects the DA’s latest attempt to misrepresent the facts around Soufflet Malt’s investment in the Midvaal Municipality. The French malt producer has broken ground on a new two-billion-rand malting facility next to Heineken Beverages’ Sedibeng Brewery. Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says the DA’s claim that premier Panyaza Lesufi is attempting to take credit for a deal secured solely by Midvaal mayor Peter Teixeira is false:

Moving abroad:

# The US military has killed two people in a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This is the second known attack this year, after two alleged drug traffickers were killed in the region last month. At least 128 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of the military’s campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, since September last year. President Donald Trump’s administration insists it is effectively at war with alleged narco-terrorists operating out of Venezuela.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana will face Panama in two international friendlies in South Africa next month as part of their preparations for the World Cup. Governing body SAFA says Panama offers a competitive, physical, and tactically disciplined test that aligns closely with the level Bafana Bafana will face at the World Cup. Hugo Broos’s charges have been drawn in Group A alongside Mexico, South Korea, and the winner of UEFA Playoff D, either the Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark, or North Macedonia.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-21-cents and the euro at 19-rand-12-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-945-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-844-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-21-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….