News 13:00

BULLETIN 23 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Shadrack Sibiya denies knowledge of the broader investigations into Matlala and the Tembisa Hospital scandal
# The MK Party says the suspension of the NHI is a dangerous retreat from healthcare justice
# And rugby: Ireland improves to third in the world rankings after hammering England at Twickenham

# Suspended deputy national police commissioner has been questioned before the Madlanga commisison over the awarding of the Medicare24 SAPS tender to businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala. Evidence leader Adila Hassim pressed Sibiya on whether he knew of Matlala’s alleged corruption linked to the Tembisa Hospital and the murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. Sibiya denied knowledge of wider investigations, claiming no awareness of Hawks probes:

# The MK Party says president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to place the National Health Insurance system on hold is troubling. The president has paused the implementation of the NHI Act until the Constitutional Court rules on legal challenges. The MK Party says this decision is a political retreat in the face of pressure from well-resourced political and industry interests, including those aligned to the DA and the Freedom Front Plus. It calls on Ramaphosa to proceed with the implementation of NHI to strengthen the promise of healthcare for all.

# AfriForum has been informed that a new mining application has been submitted for an underground coal mine on approximately five-thousand-500 hectare bordering the southern Kruger National Park. The organisation is currently evaluating the process and the possible environmental, social and economic impact. AfriForum’s Lambert de Klerk says Tenbosch Mining and the environmental company involved in the previous application, Kimopax Consulting, are also involved in this new application:

# The DA says minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, now has a window of opportunity to rebuild trade relations with the US, secure a deal and protect jobs. The US Supreme Court struck down president Donald Trump’s global sweeping tariffs he pursued under a law meant for use in national emergencies. The DA’s Toby Chance says the repeal is a welcome relief for South Africa’s exporters:

# Rugby: The world rankings changed significantly due to the weekend’s Six Nations results. Ireland improved two positions to third, behind South Africa and New Zealand, after hammering England 42-21 at Twickenham. France dropped one place to fourth despite beating Italy 33-8 in Lille, while England is now in fifth postion. Argentina stays in sixth, while Scotland improved from ninth to seventh after narrowly beating Wales 26-23 in Cardiff. Australia dropped one place to eighth, with Fiji ninth and Italy completing the top-ten.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-97-cents and the euro at 18-rand-86-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-58-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-288-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-144-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-1-cent a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….