News 13:00

BULLETIN 30 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum unveils its three-point plan to fight the Expropriation Act
# Meteorological services remain uninterrupted despite a hacking incident
# And motorsport: A former driver is dismissed as a F1 steward over his media pundit role

# AfriForum has announced a three-point plan to challenge the Expropriation Act, arguing it threatens private property rights. The plan includes preventing the act’s promulgation, pursuing legal action, and launching an international awareness campaign. AfriForum urged Public Works and Infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson to reject co-signing the act and vowed to challenge its constitutionality in court. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl says they will engage international stakeholders to oppose the law:

# The South African Weather Service says it continues to rely on alternative channels to render critical marine, aviation and severe weather services. This is pending the recovery and restoration of compromised information and communication technology systems. The ICT systems went down on Sunday night after a security breach by criminal elements. Spokesperson Oupa Segalwe says thus far, their services have not been interrupted:

# African Women in Dialogue in Johannesburg has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some DRC representatives missed the event due to airport closures amid escalating violence in the eastern city of Goma. The organisation’s chairperson, Thoko Mpumlwana, stressed to the SABC the need for lasting peace:

Meanwhile, the DRC’s president, Félix Tshisekedi, has refused to attend regional peace talks aimed at ending the M23 rebels’ assault on Goma. Kenyan president William Ruto invited Tshisekedi and Rwandan president Paul Kagame to a virtual summit as fighting rages. Rwanda denies backing the rebels, who now control much of Goma. Meanwhile, United Nations peacekeepers warn of rising ethnic tensions as civilians face food shortages, lack of medical supplies, and poor basic services.

# Motorsport: Formula One’s governing body, the F-I-A, relieved former driver Johnny Herbert of his duties as a Grand Prix steward, saying it was incompatible with his work as a media pundit. The 60-year-old Briton won three F1 races in the 1980s and 90s, as well as the Le Mans in 1991. Herbert drew the ire of four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands last year over media comments on the Red Bull driver’s behaviour on the track when he was still a commentator for Sky News.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-47-cents and the euro at 19-rand-22-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-225-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-772-dollars-13-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….