News 13:00

BULLETIN 4 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Saftu threatens with mass protests if the government of national unity fails to address the economic crisis
# Johannesburg urges spaza shop owners to register their businesses before the deadline
# And swimming: The twelve-time surf-ski world champion and his 87-year-old father will tackle the Midmar Mile together

# Union federation Saftu says workers and the poor face another year of empty promises. Ahead of Thursday’s state of the nation address, the federation criticised the government of national unity’s austerity measures, warning that budget cuts are worsening unemployment, poverty, and inequality. They pledged to intensify mass protests if the government does not tackle the growing economic crisis. Saftu’s Newton Masuku demands more Public Service jobs, fair wages, and action against corruption:

# The City of Johannesburg has urged spaza shop owners to register their businesses before the deadline of February 28. The national government enforced the registration process in response to a spike in foodborne illnesses, which were linked to products sold at spaza shops. The metro’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says they have distributed over ten-thousand registration forms throughout the seven regions during the first period, but found that almost all spaza shop owners were not legally compliant:

# Recent tests have shown fluctuating E. coli levels in the Vaal River, with some areas posing a high risk for stomach illness. A sample near Village Manor recorded 72-thousand-700 counts per 100 millimetres, though lower than last week’s 111-thousand-990. Rand Water has assured residents, however, that the drinking water remains safe as it is sourced from the Vaal Dam, not the river. Blue-green algae levels also vary, highlighting ongoing water quality concerns despite improved Vaal Dam levels at 61.3-percent capacity.

# Swimming: Twelve-time surf-ski world champion Oscar Chalupsky plans to tackle the coming weekend’s annual Midmar Mile in KwaZulu-Natal together with his 87-year-old father, Paul. Chalupsky is still defying the odds since being diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2019 and given only six months to live. He says he’s feeling good and training is going well. Chalupsky says it didn’t take too much to convince his father to join him in the iconic open water event. Paul Chalupsky will be the oldest of the estimated 12-thousand swimmers.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-74-cents and the euro at 19-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-30-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-578-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-815-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Scottish ministers are being urged to investigate cats’ impact on wildlife which could see pets banned from areas where endangered species live. If implemented, residents in those zones could be forced to keep their pets indoors or banned from getting them in the first place. According to the report by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, containment areas have been set up in several states in Australia, with a round-the-clock cat curfew in some places and restrictions after dark in others. The only exceptions are for enclosed outdoor runs or pets walking on leads.

Stay tuned for more news………….