News 18:00

BULLETIN 13 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will officiate the transfer ceremony for the fallen SANDF soldiers
# Uncertainty remains over USAID-funded PEPFAR projects amid Donald Trump’s appeal
# And cricket: Rajat Patidar succeeds Faf du Plessis as captain of RCB in the Indian Premier League

# President Cyril Ramaphosa will officiate the transfer ceremony for the remains of 14 South African National Defence Force soldiers who lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo while on a peacekeeping mission. The ceremony will take place at Air Force Base Swartkops in Pretoria tonight, where Ramaphosa, alongside Defence minister Angie Motshekga and SANDF Chief Rudzani Maphwanya, will honour the fallen troops. Speaking in Parliament, Ramaphosa said a memorial service will follow immediately after the handover:

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa has criticised denialism in the state of the nation address debate, urging members of Parliament to offer constructive suggestions for progress rather than focusing on negative rhetoric. In his response to the SONA debate, he acknowledged the varied views expressed, including economic growth and land reform. Ramaphosa says the parties in the government of national unity may not always agree, but they are working well together:

# A United States federal judge has blocked president Donald Trump’s move to freeze the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding, allowing the Centres for Disease Control-funded HIV programmes in South Africa to resume. Trump has appealed the ruling, with a decision expected by tomorrow. The future of PEPFAR remains unclear, as Congress must reauthorise the programme by the end of next month. Trump’s administration has signalled plans to phase out funding, raising concerns among global health organisations.

# Cricket: Rajat Patidar will succeed South African Faf du Plessis as captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in this year’s Indian Premier League. Du Plessis will play for Delhi Capitals in this year’s IPL, starting on the 21st of next month. Thirty-one-year-old Patidar joined RCB in 2021 and had since crown into a key batter for the team. Head coach Andy Flower says his personality won him the captaincy. RCB, despite attracting some of the biggest names in the game, remains under-achievers in the IPL.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-55-cents and the euro at 19-rand-27-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-13-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-872-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-913-dollars-16-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A herpetologist warns it is currently snake bite season in the Western Cape and urges people not to provoke snakes. This follows after six-year-old Dee-Jay Don died after a Cape cobra bit him while napping with his mother on the West Coast. Despite receiving antivenom at Vredenburg Hospital, he did not survive. Johan Marais says provoking snakes could lead to severe consequences:

Stay tuned for more news………….