News 18:00

BULLETIN 29 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The minister of Defence says the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains volatile
# The Public Servants Association vows to continue fighting for workers’ rights and job security in the health sector
# And cricket: Steve Smith of Australia becomes the 15th batter to reach 10-thousand Test runs

# Defence and Military Veterans minister Angie Motshekga says the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains volatile, with intense fighting between M23 rebels and government forces. She assured the public the South African National Defence Force camps have not been attacked in the past 48 hours. In a media briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Motshekga confirmed efforts to evacuate injured soldiers have been successful, with some receiving treatment at a United Nations facility:

Meanwhile, the DA’s spokesperson on Defence, Chris Hattingh, is urging the immediate suspension of the celebration of Armed Forces Day on 21 February, and Air Force Day on 8 October, following the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in the DRC. Hattingh criticised military festivities as disrespectful, demanding national mourning and accountability, instead of celebrations while soldiers remain in crisis:

# The Public Servants Association has vowed to keep fighting for better rights and job security for workers in the health sector. This follows a Labour Court ruling that supports making community health workers permanent employees, after working for years on short-term contracts with no benefits. The association’s Claude Naiker says they plan to push for better protections and policies to ensure fair treatment, stability, and fair pay for all health workers.

# Cricket: Australian Steve Smith became the 15th batter to reach 10-thousand runs in Test cricket. He achieved this early on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, when he needed just one run to reach the milestone. Thirty-five-year-old Smith, who leads the team in the absence of Pat Cummins, won the toss and decided to bat. He went on to score his 35th century, and the team reached 330 for two at stumps after Usman Khawaja contributed an undefeated 147.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-68-cents and the euro at 19-rand-42-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 101-thousand-962-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-758-dollars-93-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-92-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Stocks and Strauss Fund Manager has launched the second university technology fund to accelerate the commercialisation of university-based research and technology. With a target of 400-million-rand, the fund has already secured significant investments from the SA SME Fund and Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropies Africa. Other key investors include the Universities of Pretoria, Cape Town, WITS and Stellenbosch. The fund will also support alumni-driven ventures to strengthen South Africa’s innovation ecosystem.

Stay tuned for more news………….