News 18:00

BULLETIN NEWS AGENCY 7 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum says Starlink could revolutionise rural safety, healthcare, and education

# Soccer: Fifa suspends Congo Republic and Pakistan

# And Ladysmith Black Mambazo embarks on a national tour to celebrate 65 years in the music industry

# AfriForum says Elon Musk’s international telecommunications provider, Starlink, could greatly improve safety, healthcare, and education in rural areas. At the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s public hearings, the organisation argued that Starlink would help with crime prevention, faster emergency responses, and telemedicine in remote areas. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl called on ICASA to approve Starlink’s South African license and remove racial criteria blocking its access to rural communities:

# The High Court in Johannesburg has postponed the corruption trial of former Gauteng Health MEC Brian Hlongwa to April 2026. The trial delay is due to pending trial separation applications and the extradition of an accused, Richard John Payne, from the UK. Hlongwa and his co-accused face charges of irregular tenders, fraudulent payments, and misuse of over 347-million-rand in public funds between 2006 and 2010. Other allegations include bribery and misuse of departmental budgets for personal gain.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says government’s claim of recovering ten-billion-rand from state capture cases is misleading, as it is only a fraction of the estimated 500-billion-rand lost to corruption. The organisation criticised the slow progress in prosecuting those responsible for the corruption and the failure to implement stronger whistleblower protections. OUTA’s Stefanie Fick says without real action, corruption will continue to thrive while taxpayers bear the burden:

# Soccer: Fifa has suspended the Congo Republic and Pakistan’s governing bodies, barring both from international competitions. Fifa suspended the Congo Republic due to third-party interference in its affairs. The decision was taken in consultation with the Confederation of African Football. Pakistan’s federation was suspended due to its failure to adopt a revision of its constitution that would ensure fair and democratic elections. Fifa suspended Pakistan in 2017 and 2021 too, due to third-party interference. Its last ban was lifted in June 2022.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-42-cents and the euro at 19-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 99-thousand-dollars-797-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-865-dollars-63-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

# And, finally: The award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo will embark on a national tour starting in May, with performances lined up in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. The renowned South African vocal group is currently touring the United States and Canada as it marks 65 years in the music industry. The group is also planning to perform in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Ladysmith Black Mambazo member, Sibongiseni Tshabalala, says the tour is a celebration of the group’s rich musical heritage and enduring legacy.

Stay tuned for more news………….