News 16:00

BULLETIN 30 January 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The repo rate is cut by 25 basis points
# The chief of the Defence Force clarifies the DRC deployment amid Paul Kagame’s criticism
# And cricket: Female Afghan players play together for the first time since fleeing the Taliban

# There is some good news for those South Africans with debt. The Reserve Bank’s monetary police committee cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5-percent. This means the prime lending rate will be lowered to 11-percent.

# South African Defence Force commander in chief, Rudzani Maphwanya, has reaffirmed that SANDF troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo are on a peacekeeping mission, countering Rwandan president Paul Kagame’s claims. He stated their mandate is to neutralise armed groups and restore stability. Maphwanya confirmed that plans are underway to repatriate the bodies of the 13 fallen soldiers to their families:

# The daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, accused of inciting the July 2021 unrest, has been released on a warning by the Durban Magistrate’s Court in KwaZulu-Natal. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla faces charges related to inciting terrorism and public violence during the unrest, which resulted in the deaths of over 300 people. Magistrate Irfaan Khalil transferred the case to the High Court in Durban, with her next appearance set for 20 March:

# The Department of Health in Limpopo urges residents to remain vigilant as malaria cases increase following recent rainfall. The department warns the wet conditions are ideal for breeding mosquitoes, which could lead to a spike in malaria infections. They are closely monitoring the situation and supporting affected communities. The department’s Neil Shikwambana urges people experiencing symptoms like fever and chills to seek medical attention promptly:

# Cricket: Female Afghan players united for a charity match in Melbourne, Australia, today for the first time since leaving their country. Hundreds of female athletes fled Afghanistan when the hard-line Taliban took over control in August 2021 and essentially banned women’s sport and education. Many of the national team’s members settled as refugees in Australia. Captain Nahida Sapan says the women are building a movement for change and promise, hoping today’s match would open doors for Afghan women.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-50-cents and the euro at 19-rand-24-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-36-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-778-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The world’s longest-serving death row inmate is demanding the Japanese government pay him more than 24-million-rand in compensation after his conviction was quashed. Iwao Hakamada was declared innocent last year of a 1966 quadruple murder for which the now 88-year-old spent over four decades in confinement, mostly on death row. A regional court ruled in a September retrial that police had tampered with evidence, and the ex-boxer had suffered inhumane interrogations meant to force a statement that he later withdrew.

Stay tuned for more news………….