News 13:00

BULLETIN 29 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Reserve Bank is likely to hold rates steady amid inflation caution
# SANParks says the drought in Karoo parks is a natural ecological process
# And soccer: CAF hands down hefty sanctions to Senegal and Morocco following the AFCON final misconduct

# The South African Reserve Bank is expected to keep the repo rate at 6.75-percent this afternoon. A majority of economists – 18 out of 26 polled by Reuters – predict that the Monetary Policy Committee will hold rates steady. This is due to a slight uptick in the December inflation rate to 3.6-percent and other potential risks. A small minority of economists hope for a 25-basis-point cut. Despite inflation remaining within the target range, recent price upticks and global market volatility have prompted a pause in the easing cycle.

# SANParks says current drought conditions in the Karoo National Park in the Western Cape and the Mountain Zebra National Park in the Eastern Cape are ecologically natural. SANParks says visitors may notice thin animals and more carcasses, but this is part of the ecosystem’s cycle. Spokesperson JP Louw says park management is monitoring water sources and animal populations while allowing natural processes to continue:

# The Department of Home Affairs has issued over four-million smart ID cards in the previous calendar year, the highest rate of delivery in the history of the department. This milestone represents a 17-percent increase over the three-million smart IDs issued in 2024. Minister Leon Schreiber says this demonstrates how the department’s commitment to digital transformation is expanding inclusion and access at a scale never seen before. He adds the accelerated rollout of smart IDs is a cornerstone of the department’s medium-term development plan targets. 

Moving abroad:

# British prime minister Keir Starmer has described his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping as constructive, saying it will lead to a strengthening of the relationship. He is on a three-day working visit to Beijing, the first trip by a UK prime minister for eight years. Starmer says he and Xi have identified opportunities to collaborate, adding that Britain’s relationship with China is in a strong, good place:

# Soccer: African governing body CAF’s disciplinary board has imposed sanctions on Senegal and Morocco over their misconduct during the Africa Cup of Nations final. The awarding of a penalty to hosts Morocco led to Senegal walking off the pitch for 17-minutes. The team eventually returned and won in extra time. Senegal has been fined 4.7-million-rand with coach Pape Bouna Thiaw suspended for five matches and fined. Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Cheikh Baroy Ndiaye have also been suspended for two matches. Morocco has received a 3.1-million-rand fine.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-71-cents and the euro at 18-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-71-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-916-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-518-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-78-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….