News 14:00

BULLETIN 5 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is to attend a joint summit in Tanzania on the crisis in the DRC
# Rugby: Both Bulls’ co-captains are out for long periods due to injuries
# And Cape Town is named the best long-haul city break in the world for Brits

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will visit Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania on Saturday for the Southern Africa Development Community and East African Community’s heads of state summit addressing the security crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This follows recent extraordinary summits urging coordinated efforts, including ceasefire agreements and humanitarian aid. Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says senior officials and Foreign ministers will meet beforehand, emphasising dialogue and support for peace initiatives like the Luanda Process:

Meanwhile, the Presidency says the theme of tomorrow’s state of the nation address is “A nation that works for all.” Magwenya says the address aligns with South Africa’s commemoration of 30 years of democracy and its G20 presidency. He says it will focus on fostering national unity and collaboration to drive progress and tackle key challenges facing the country:

# Profmed has launched a new platform, FinDR, designed to bridge the gap between qualified young doctors seeking work and medical facilities in need of medical graduate support. There are over one-thousand qualified doctors desperate for employment opportunities. Profmed CEO, Craig Comrie, says the platform is not only addressing the employment gap among doctors but also easing the pressure on the country’s healthcare system. He says they are offering a complementary six-month Profmed medical aid membership to the first 100 sign-ups to the platform.

# Rugby: The Bulls’ co-captains as well as flyhalf Johan Goosen are all out injured for a significant time. Elrigh Louw needs another operation on his injured knee before his rehabilitation can begin, while Ruan Nortjé suffered a knee ligament injury and is only expected to return in eight to ten weeks’ time. Goosen, who also had a knee operation, should also only be ready for the Challenge Cup match against Bayonne in April. The Bulls play the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship in Cape Town on Saturday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-59-cents and the euro at 19-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-29-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-663-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-870-dollars-43-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-29-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Cape Town has been named the best long-haul city break in the world for British travellers. In a survey conducted by Which?, over one-thousand-500 British travellers ranked their experiences in cities outside Europe over the past year. Almost two-thousand-500 destinations were rated across seven measures, including food and drink, accommodation, cultural, tourist attractions, and value for money. Cape Town Tourism says the metro’s unbeatable mix of adventure, culture, and affordability outshone all the others, including hotspots like Tokyo, Sydney, Dubai, and Los Angeles.

Stay tuned for more news………….