News 18:00

BULLETIN 15 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Today is the final push for a Gaza truce and hostage deal
# Gauteng faces a looming water crisis amid governance failures
# And Motorsport: South Africans are back on top at the Dakar Rally

# Mediators are making a final push today to seal a Gaza truce and hostage release deal. This follows after a Qatari official involved in the talks expressed hope an agreement could be reached “very soon”. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have intensified efforts to broker a ceasefire and enable the release of hostages. US President Joe Biden and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a phone call yesterday that both Israel and Hamas needed to show flexibility to get a deal over the line.

# The DA’s deputy spokesperson on Water and Sanitation, Stephen Moore, says Gauteng’s water Day Zero nears as municipalities lose nearly 50-percent of clean water to leaks and faults. Moore says Johannesburg reservoir levels have already dipped below 70-percent. Moore warns that rising water demand, as schools and businesses reopen, could plunge the province into crisis. He urges investment in infrastructure, and immediate action:

# ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has appointed Forum 4 Service Delivery leader Mbahare Kekana as the new deputy president of ActionSA, effective immediately. This move strengthens ActionSA’s leadership as part of its efforts to unite opposition parties and build a viable alternative to the government of national unity. Kekana’s appointment follows his party’s collaboration with ActionSA in preparation for the 2026 local government elections. Mashaba says Kekana brings valuable experience and leadership, especially in local government issues:

# Africa’s energy crisis is said to be intensifying amid a growing population and underdeveloped grids. Experts predict that by 2050, sub-Saharan Africa’s population will double, increasing energy demand. Oilprice.com reports that the continent, least responsible for global emissions, will continue facing immense climate vulnerability, prompting a push to bypass fossil fuels for renewables. A survey report by Queen Mary University of London also found that legal disputes may surge in the coming years as many nations tackle energy transitions and tax reforms.

# Motorsport: South Africans Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings moved back atop the overall standings after the tenth stage of the Dakar Rally. The stage was won by Spain’s Ford driver Nani Roma. Roma handed Ford their first Dakar stage win since 2015. Overnight leader and home hope Yazeed al-Rajhi lost precious minutes after becoming stuck in sand to hand Lategan, in his Toyota, the advantage. The South African now sits 2-minutes 27-seconds ahead of the Saudi driver in the general classification.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-76-cents and the euro at 19-rand-39-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-683-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-688-dollars-9-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-92-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….