News 17:00

BULLETIN 18 February 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa’s inflation eases to 3.5-percent in January
# The IEC sounds the alarm over youth voter apathy ahead of the local government elections
# And soccer: Fans are warned over fake tickets ahead of the clash between Sundowns and Pirates

# Statistics South Africa says inflation slowed to 3.5-percent in January from 3.6-percent in December, helped by lower fuel prices and steady food costs. While prices for rice, maize meal, dairy and eggs declined, meat prices continued to rise sharply. Fuel dropped to its lowest level in almost four years. Stats SA’s Patrick Kelly says bank fees and some school uniform items increased, but stationery and textbook prices fell during the month:

# The Electoral Commission has commenced the nationwide tertiary education activation campaign commenced today at Taletso TVET College in Mafikeng, North West ahead of the local government election. Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo told SABC News the campaign under the banner ‘Save the Democracy, Save the Date,’ aims to strengthen democratic values and increase student involvement in upcoming elections, amid declining youth voter turnout:

# The City of Johannesburg urges media owners and outdoor advertising agencies not to support companies operating without approval, as it intensifies enforcement against illegal billboards. The metro, in cooperation with City Power, Joburg Property Company, Johannesburg Metro Police and the Johannesburg Roads Agency removed ten unlawful signs along Winnie Mandela Drive in Sandton, some illegally reconnected to electricity. Executive Director for Development Planning Eric Raboshakga stresses compliance with by-laws, proper applications, and responsible property maintenance.

# Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva ended after only two hours. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described them as difficult and accused Russia of deliberately delaying progress toward a deal to end the four-year-old war. Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, told reporters further negotiations would be held soon, without specifying a date.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions have fled their homes, and many Ukrainian cities, towns and villages have been devastated by the conflict, which was started by Russia in February 2022.

# Soccer: Stadium Management South Africa has warned supporters about fake tickets ahead of tonight’s Sundowns versus Pirates match at the FNB Stadium this evening. CEO Bertie Grobbelaar confirmed to SABC News that more than 46-thousand tickets have been sold and over two-thousand security personnel deployed to ensure safety. He urges fans to arrive early, have digital tickets ready for scanning, and expect traffic delays due to the weekday kick-off at half past seven:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-1-cent and the euro at 18-rand-97-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-665-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-955-dollars-55-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 68-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….