News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 February 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The High Court dismisses Jacob Zuma and Thales’ appeal
# John Steenhuisen hails his successes as DA leader
# And Olympic Games: The IOC chief is calling for more focus on sport, not politics

# The High Court in Pietermaritzburg, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, has dismissed former president Jacob Zuma and co-accused Thales’ bid to reverse a ruling against their application for acquittal. Judge Nkosinathi Chili presided over the case, upholding the original decision and confirming the legal process will continue. Zuma and the French aerospace corporation had sought to overturn the previous judgment. Chili says their arguments are insufficient to set aside the earlier ruling:

# Outgoing DA leader John Steenhuisen says the party’s entry into national government marks a historic breakthrough after decades in opposition. Announcing his resignation in April, he says the DA has assisted government to improve growth, a credit upgrade and South Africa’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list. He credits coalition politics for renewed economic momentum, declining unemployment and expanding exports, but warns internal divisions could threaten progress:

# S&P Global Ratings has warned African governments face a 1.4-tillion-rand debt wall in 2026, driven by rising hard-currency repayments. External debt obligations are now more than triple the 2012 levels, with Egypt accounting for nearly a third, followed by Angola, South Africa and Nigeria. While growth is forecast at 4.5-percent, debt remains high at about 61-percent of gross domestic product, prompting countries including South Africa and Kenya to adopt liability management measures.

# Olympics: International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, says all athletes should be allowed to compete regardless of their government’s behaviour. This follows comments by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who wants Russia reinstated to international soccer. Russia has been banned by FIFA and UEFA since its full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Coventry says the IOC understands politics and is fully aware it does not operate in a vacuum:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-98-cents and the euro at 18-rand-87-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-90-cents and Bitcoin trades at 76-thousand-20-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-54-dollars-72-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The City of Cape Town says teenage pregnancies remain a growing concern, with one-thousand-230 girls under 18 accessing antenatal care last year. This is a 1.2-percent increase from the previous year. All pregnant women are encouraged to make healthy lifestyle choices, seek mental health support if needed, and book early antenatal care to protect their health and their babies’ well-being. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, has urged teenagers to use youth-friendly services and contraceptives.

Stay tuned for more news………….