News 15:00

BULLETIN 13 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The US government considers refugee status for Afrikaners
# SANRAL announces toll tariff adjustments from next month
# And rugby: The Blitzboks make key squad changes for the Vancouver Sevens

# The United States Department of State and Homeland Security is prioritising humanitarian relief and resettlement for Afrikaners from South Africa who claim to be victims of racial discrimination. This follows an executive order by president Donald Trump, which also cut funding to South Africa over alleged human rights violations and the controversial Expropriation Act. News24 reports the US is considering Afrikaners for refugee status, a move Trump argues is necessary due to racial discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities.

Meanwhile Saftu has strongly condemned Solidarity trade union’s reckless appeal to Trump to intensify pressure on the South African government over what it calls racial laws. This follows Solidarity’s attack on policies like BEE and affirmative action. Saftu’s spokesperson, Newton Masuku, says Solidarity’s actions echo AfriForum’s recent disinformation campaign against the Expropriation Act, falsely claiming it threatens property rights and targets white farmers:

# The South African National Roads Agency has announced a 4.84-percent toll tariff increase, effective from the first of next month. SANRAL’s Vusi Mona highlights that toll revenue is vital for maintaining and improving toll roads and servicing related debts. While acknowledging economic pressures on South Africans, SANRAL emphasised the importance of sustaining quality road infrastructure to support industrial, commercial, and public needs.

# Rand Water in Gauteng has warned of rapidly depleting reservoirs due to extremely high water consumption. The depletion is exacerbated by high temperatures, power outages, and maintenance work. Storage levels have dropped from nearly 70-percent to below 40-percent since January 19. Rand Water urges customers to reduce consumption to avoid system collapse, as high demand in one area impacts the supply to others.

# Rugby: The Blitzboks have made key changes to their squad ahead of next weekend’s Vancouver Sevens. Sebastiaan Jobb returns to the team after nearly two years, replacing the injured Zain Davids, while Tristan Leyds is back from injury to take over from Dewald Human. The team faces New Zealand, Ireland, and Australia in their pool matches. Coach Philip Snyman says the adjustments suit the fast artificial pitch in Canada, with Jobb’s pace expected to be a major factor:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-48-cents and the euro at 19-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-9-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-205-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-917-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….