News 11:00

BULLETIN 16 February 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa promises South Africa won’t turn its back on the oppressed
# A Mini substation stolen 10 years ago is recovered in Lenasia
# And, the US warns the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka could fall to Russia

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa may be a small nation on the international front, but it will not be silenced about global human rights abuses. In his first-ever address to the Cape Town Press Club on Thursday, Ramaphosa referred to unfolding conflicts in Russia and Ukraine and between Hamas and Israel. He also addressed several pressing issues in the country. Journalists peppered the president with questions, and concerns that stood out were the country’s ever-changing foreign policy, load-shedding, and the upcoming general elections.

# The GOOD Party says the Western Cape must prepare itself for a coalition government. This follows the results of a by-election in Theewaterskloof on Wednesday, in which the ANC and DA together could only muster a combined 48% of the vote. The DA shed nearly half its support, dropping from 51-percent in 2021 to 28-percent in just three years. The GOOD Party secretary-general, Brett Herron, says of all the parties contesting the election, the DA was the only loser:

# City Power has recovered a stolen mini substation worth 400-thousand-rand and electrical cable worth 900-thousand-rand at a hardware store in Lenasia South during the Lenasia Service Delivery Centre’s cut-off operation. A businessperson was found to have in his possession an eleven-kilovolt mini-substation which disappeared from the City Power premises in Booysens in 2014. City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena says the utility’s records show that at the time, four mini substations were procured, however, one disappeared without a trace:

# The US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine’s key eastern town of Avdiivka, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months. The National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing Avdiivka could fall because the Ukrainian forces are running out of artillery ammunition. Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to be able to continue fighting Russia. NATO earlier warned that US failure to approve continued military assistance to Ukraine was already having an impact on the battlefield.

# Cricket: A century from Kane Williamson and a half-century from Will Young powered New Zealand to a comfortable seven-wicket win over the Proteas, in the second test at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Earlier in the match the Proteas batted first scoring 242 all out. The Black Caps responded with 211 all out, giving the Proteas a slim 31-run lead. The second innings saw the visitors all out for 235. This set New Zealand 267 to win, which they chased down in the end. The win gave the hosts a first-ever test series win over the Proteas.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-93-cents and the euro at 20-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-84-cents and Bitcoin trades at 51-thousand-995-dollars-78-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-3-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-75-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….