News 12:00

BULLETIN 2 February 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos says an inquiry into Iran’s role in South Africa’s naval drill could be unlawful
# A foot and mouth disease outbreak is confirmed in Botswana
# And rugby: The Blitzboks coach hopes for improvements in Perth

# Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos says the board of inquiry established to investigate Iran’s participation in the naval exercise may be invalid under the Defence Act. Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga has appointed retired Judge Bernard Ngoepe to lead the investigation with the assistance of retired judges Monica Leeuw and Kathleen Satchwell, and Navy officer Patrick Duze. In an opinion piece for News24, De Vos says the act does not allow anyone not employed by the Defence Department to serve on its boards of inquiry.

# DA Northern Cape has urged government to strengthen measures to keep foot and mouth disease out. With outbreaks in three neighbouring provinces, the DA’s Reinette Liebenberg says provincial leadership must match national efforts, including vaccination campaigns and biosecurity enforcement. She urges Agriculture MEC Lebogang Motlhaping to ensure the effective implementation of controls, regulate animal movement, and safeguard the province’s livestock, food security, and agricultural economy:

Meanwhile, Botswana has confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the country’s northeastern region near the Zimbabwean border. Veterinary authorities say the disease was detected at Jackalas-one-village in the Masunga district. Laboratory tests confirmed foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, though the total number of cases is still being assessed. The government has imposed livestock movement restrictions, strict quarantines, and increased surveillance, while also rolling out awareness campaigns to farmers to contain the spread.

# Rugby: Springbok Sevens coach Philip Snyman says the lack of decision-making and clinical finishing were the biggest disappointments in their performance in the Singapore Sevens at the weekend. The Blitzboks lost to France in the semifinals and then to New Zealand in the third-place playoff to finish fourth. Snyman says there are several areas where they did not meet their usual high standards, which they will look to rectify in Perth:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-13-cents and the euro at 19-rand-14-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-9-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-925-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-643-dollars-50-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Health Department will kick off its human papillomavirus vaccination drive today, which forms part of ongoing efforts to protect girls from cervical cancer later in life. South Africa continues to record a high number of cervical cancer cases and related deaths. The department’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale, says over five-thousand-700 cases of cervical cancer are reported in the country each year, while more than three-thousand women die from cervical cancer-related complications:

Stay tuned for more news………….