News 15:00

BULLETIN 22 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Dean Macpherson welcomes PwC’s probe into the oxygen plant tender
# Annual consumer inflation rised slightly to three-percent in December
# And cricket: England’s captain Jos Buttler does not support the boycott of a match against Afghanistan

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson has endorsed the appointment of PwC to investigate alleged irregularities in the 800-million-rand Independent Development Trust oxygen plant tender. Concerns include awarding contracts to two companies without South African Health Products Regulatory Authority registration. The eight-week probe will assess procedural compliance, financial losses, and officials’ accountability. Macpherson says the aim is to bolster governance and public trust:

# South Africa’s annual consumer inflation edged up to three-percent in December from 2.9-percent in November. Key contributors to the rise included housing and utilities, miscellaneous goods and services, food, and non-alcoholic beverages. Statistics South Africa’s Patrick Kelly says the average inflation for last year was 4.4-percent, lower than the six-percent recorded in 2023:

# The Automobile Association is calling for urgent government investment in mobility infrastructure to curb South Africa’s rising road fatalities. This comes as one-thousand-502 deaths were reported during the 2024/’25 festive season. The AA highlights deteriorating infrastructure, vehicles that are not roadworthy, and pedestrian risks as key concerns. Spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela stresses that decisive action is crucial to meet global road safety goals and save lives:

# Panama has complained to the United Nations over US president Donald Trump’s threat to seize the Panama Canal. The country launched an audit of the Hong Kong-linked operator of two ports on the interoceanic waterway. Trump says China interferes in the channel. In a letter to UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, Panama referred to an article of the UN Charter precluding any member from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another. Panama urges Guterres to refer the matter to the UN Security Council.

# Cricket: Captain Jos Buttler says England’s match against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy should go ahead after calls for a boycott over the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights. A group of more than 160 British politicians have asked the England and Wales Cricket Board for England not to play the match in Lahore on 26 February. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has effectively banned the participation of women in both sport and broader public life.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-45-cents and the euro at 19-rand-29-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-82-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-161-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-759-dollars-49-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-5-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….