News 13:00

BULLETIN 2 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Activists protest against an Israeli donation in the Eastern Cape
# Business Leadership SA calls on government to finalise the new energy vehicles policy
# And soccer: Minister McKenzie says there is no formal confirmation that South Africa will host the upcoming Wafcon

# Several social activist movements, including the Independent Komani Residents Association and the Unemployed People’s Movement, are protesting in the Eastern Cape against Israeli donations to assist poor service delivery in local communities. The association’s Thulani Bukani says the donations are politically motivated. He condemns Israel’s actions in Palestine, describing it as genocide. Bukani demands the immediate rejection of aid, and refusal to normalise what he calls Israeli apartheid:

# Business Leadership South Africa says balancing China as a critical trading partner while protecting domestic jobs requires sophisticated policy. The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa is considering imposing 50-percent import tariffs on passenger vehicles and 30-percent on vehicle components. In 2024, Chinese imports made up 22-percent of all vehicle imports to the country. BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso says government must urgently finalise new energy vehicles policy, refine tariffs and deploy anti-dumping measures to protect vehicle manufacturers.

# The City of Tshwane says Rand Water’s Palmiet system is again experiencing low to depleted reservoir levels as a result of the recent power failure. This has resulted in residents facing low water pressure and intermittent outages. The metro’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, says several reservoirs are showing rapid declines, including Laudium, Atteridgeville High Level, Lotus Gardens, as well as Soshanguve L and Soshanguve DD. He adds pumping has resumed at the Palmiet system:

# The City of Cape Town says its 2025 events calendar delivered strong attendance, economic impact and job creation, affirming its status as Africa’s leading events destination. The Events Permit Office approved one-thousand-and-64 events between 1 January and 31 December, ranging from major international sporting fixtures and large-scale festivals to community and cultural gatherings. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says these events attracted over 3.4-million spectators and participants:

# Soccer: Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says there has been no formal decision for South Africa to take over as hosts of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. This comes after deputy minister Peace Mabe stated South Africa has agreed to take over from Morocco. There are rumours the northern African country could pull out of hosting the tournament. McKenzie says any potential hosting of Wafcon would be subject to established government and soccer governance processes.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-12-cents and the euro at 19-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-8-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-937-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-671-dollars-28-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 65-dollars-72-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….