News 18:00

BULLETIN 17 February 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Steenhuisen says the economy is improving under the coalition government
# The government welcomes the modest improvement in the unemployment figures
# And, Build One South Africa pays tribute to the civil rights icon Jesse Jackson

# The minister of Agriculture and DA leader, John Steenhuisen says the economy is showing real progress under the government of national unity, with inflation at its lowest in 20 years, two consecutive budget surpluses, and a stronger rand. Steenhuisen warned during the state of the nation debate that economic growth remains too slow to create enough jobs and reduce poverty. He credits much of this success to the DA’s role in government:

# The Government has welcomed the latest Statistics South Africa survey, which shows employment increased by 44-thousand while unemployment fell by 172-thousand. This led to a 0.5-percent drop in the official jobless rate. Government Deputy spokesperson William Baloyi says programmes like the presidential employment stimulus and public-private partnerships are helping create work, particularly for youth and women:

The minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson meanwhile has welcomed the creation of 35-thousand new jobs in the construction sector between October and December 2025. Macpherson says following 130-thousand jobs between July and September, construction remains the second largest job creator in the country. Macpherson says sustained growth reflects rising industry confidence in government reforms improving procurement, governance, and project delivery. He adds that continued investment will see more infrastructure projects completed, boosting employment and economic recovery nationwide.

# Build One South Africa has hailed the late Reverend Jesse Jackson as a towering figure in the global fight for justice, equality, and human dignity. A close ally of the late Martin Luther King Junior, Jackson played a key role in the civil rights movement and ran for US president in 1984 and 1988, breaking racial barriers. BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane praised his courage and vision, calling his legacy a lasting beacon for justice worldwide.

# Cricket: Australia is out of the T20 World Cup after today’s group match between Zimbabwe and Ireland in Kandy rained out without a ball being bowled. Australia needed Ireland to win today and Sri Lanka also to beat the African team on Thursday to keep in the running for a place, in the Super Eights after losing two of their three group matches. But because today’s points were shared, Zimbabwe goes through, together with Sri Lanka, and Australia, Ireland and Oman go home after the group phase.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-8-cents and the euro at 19-rand-1-cent. One British pound costs 21-rand-74-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-022-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-896-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-11-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….