News 15:00

BULLETIN 7 February 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Activists and Citizens Forum says the true state of the nation is that the country is in an economic crisis
# Cape Town orders the Kamal-CISCO Steel Mill to cease operations due to emissions complaints
# And Cricket: Makeshift Proteas are outclassed by New Zealand

# The Activists and Citizens Forum says the true state of the nation is that the country is in a political and economic crisis. It says politically, the country is leaderless, and economically, the country is in the intensive care unit. The forum says state capture and corruption has left South Africa with crippling load-shedding that is disrupting all facets of life. Forum spokesperson Dennis Bloem says just in the past year, many businesses have shut their doors, and millions of workers have lost their jobs:

Meanwhile, ActionSA says South Africans require a government that delivers real solutions to propel the nation back to prosperity. They reject the prospect of another State of the Nation Address filled with empty promises. Party leader Herman Mashaba asserts president Cyril Ramaphosa’s grand promises do not align with the reality that citizens are worse off today than six-years ago. In his briefing, Mashaba unveiled plans to address the country’s challenges and restore prosperity:

# The City of Cape Town has taken action against the Kamal-CISCO steel mill, ordering its immediate closure due to ongoing complaints from Kuils River residents regarding emissions. City spokesperson Jan Kruger confirms that the mill was instructed to cease operations last November until the cause of emissions is identified and reported. An investigation by the City Environmental Health Inspector revealed non-compliance with conditions outlined in the Atmospheric Emissions Licence, encompassing administrative provisions and emissions regulation.

# Cricket: A makeshift Proteas outfit fought for four days, but were outclassed by New Zealand in Mount Maunganui. A South Africa Test side featuring six debutants was beaten by 281 runs in the opening Test, to take a one-nil lead in the two-match series. The Proteas were set an impossible target of 529 and then dismissed for 247, with a career-best Test score of 87 for David Bedingham. He hopes for a better performance in the second and final Test starting on Tuesday in Hamilton:

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-90-cents and the euro at 20-rand-36-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 42-thousand-958-dollars-11-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-34-dollars-91-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Cape Town commemorates 25 years of aiding 270-thousand abuse survivors. Director Bernadine Bachar emphasises the failures of the criminal justice and public health sectors in assisting those seeking help. The centre provides job skills training, entrepreneurial programmes, counseling, and an ECD centre for young children. Furthermore a homeschool centre is availabe for older children, legal assistance for divorce orders and maintenance and food parcel distribution.

Stay tuned for more news………….