News 13:00

BULLETIN 19 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum demands transparency about the SANDF’s deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo
# The City of Johannesburg cautions against the illegal drilling of boreholes after the Gautrain’s services were disrupted
# And motorsport: F1 teams unveil their 2025 liveries at the O2 Arena

# AfriForum demands clarity on allegations that president Cyril Ramaphosa exploited the South African National Defence Force for personal and political gain. Fourteen SANDF soldiers died while fighting M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month. AfriForum’s Jacques Broodryk says accusations suggest that soldiers were not deployed to the DRC for regional stability or national security, but to protect the financial interests of the politically connected elite:

# The City of Johannesburg says the illegal drilling of boreholes on residential property could have serious consequences. This comes after a recent illegal borehole drilling on a private property in Killarney led to the suspension of Gautrain services between Park Station and Rosebank. The services were suspended as water and soil were seeping into the tunnel section of the system. The metro’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says regulations are in place to ensure borehole drilling is conducted safely and sustainably:

# Community members in Diazville in Saldanha in the Western Cape are holding a prayer memorial walk today, to mark one year since Joslin Smith’s disappearance. She was six-years old when she went missing while in the care of her mother’s boyfriend. Her mother, Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquin Appollis, and his friend, Steveno van Rhyn, face charges of kidnapping and child trafficking. The trio are set to return to the Western Cape High Court next Friday for a pre-trial hearing.

# Motorsport: All ten Formula One teams and their 20 drivers launched their 2025 liveries in a historic launch at the O2 Arena in London to mark the sport’s 75th anniversary. Each team got an opportunity to present their new liveries and driver line-up in front of a live audience. There are six rookies on the grid this year, Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman, the most since the 2021 season. Testing gets underway at the Bahrain International Circuit next Wednesday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-762-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-945-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The University of South Africa says it is committed to advancing the implementation of the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, including eliminating waste and the use of single-use plastics. To date, less than ten-percent of the seven-billion tons of plastic waste produced globally has been recycled. Unisa says its Management Committee has banned the use of single-use plastics on campus. It adds that the committee has also approved the elimination of the use of plastics and polystyrene materials in catering services on campus.

Stay tuned for more news………….