News 13:00

BULLETIN 13 February 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA’s president announces premier candidates for three provinces
# The GOOD Party says South Africa has a long way to go to achieve true equality
# And Cricket: An improvement from the Proteas on day one of the second Test against New Zealand

# ActionSA’s president, Herman Mashaba, says the upcoming general elections offer a rare opportunity to end the ruling ANC’s three-decade reign. The party revealed premier candidates for Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, and the Free State. According to Mashaba, ActionSA received over 500-thousand votes across six municipalities, despite forming just a year before the 2021 local government elections:

# The GOOD Party in the Western Cape says South Africa still has a long way to go in achieving true equality, freedom and justice. Twenty-one-year-old, Diego Jacobs, a gay man, was stabbed to death in a suspected hate crime in Delft earlier this month. The party says it is unthinkable that in South Africa, where a constitution guarantees the rights of all its citizens, there are still young men walking the streets thinking they can harass and even kill people because of their sexual orientation.

# Basic Education minister Motshekga urges diverse participation in school governing body elections, marking a crucial step in the education landscape. The elections will take place next month as the bodies play a vital role in enhancing academic performance, learner well-being, and community engagement. The minister calls on citizens to shape the future of the education system by actively participating in the elections. According to Motshekga, incidents of vandalism and absenteeism decrease significantly in schools with active governing bodies:

# The World Governments Summit has kicked off in Dubai with the theme Shaping Future Governments. Over three days, the summit will delve into global trends and transformations to envision a better future for humanity. Discussions will cover sustainable development, innovative solutions for future challenges, and opportunities for international cooperation. Key topics include the next generation of future governments, Arab finance, labour issues in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and the future of hydrogen energy.

# Cricket: Proteas batter, David Bedingham, says it was important for the team to show a fight from the onset in the second Test against New Zealand. South Africa chose to bat first with several batters getting a start but falling in their 20’s or 30’s. At stumps on day one of the second Test, the visitors had 220 for six, with Ruan de Swardt unbeaten on 55 and Shaun von Berg on 34. Bedingham says they could have done better:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-84-cents and the euro at 20-rand-28-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-83-cents and Bitcoin trades at 50-thousand-98-dollars-58-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-26-dollars-4-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 82-dollars-59-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….