News 16:00

BULLETIN 1 February 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Department of Home Affairs announces extra hours for voter registration
# The ATM accuses Blade Nzimande of discriminating against black academics
# And rugby: English Premiership clubs could soon have Saudi owners

# The Department of Home Affairs has announced extended office hours tomorrow, from 4 PM to 6 PM, in a bid to facilitate citizen participation in the upcoming elections. Over the weekend, offices will be open from 8 AM to 5 PM. This initiative aims to support the voter registration weekend. Young people are encouraged to use the opportunity for identity document application or collection. Spokesperson Siya Qoza says clients can book appointments via the branch appointment system or visit without booking:

Meanwhile, eleven parties involved in the Multi-Party Charter for South Africa organised a joint registration event at Johannesburg City Hall, urging eligible voters to register this weekend. Inkatha Freedom Party leader Velenkosini Hlabisa emphasised the importance of the event for South Africans to exercise their democratic right and vote for change in the upcoming elections. Hlabisa highlights the power of shaping a better future based on the Multi-Party Charter’s vision for a just, inclusive and prosperous South Africa:

# The African Transformation Movement has accused Higher Education, Science and Innovation minister Blade Nzimande of discriminating against black local academics in South African universities. In a letter to Nzimande, party president Vuyo Zungula questions the exclusion of black academics, claiming they are given inferior positions despite being highly qualified. Zungula highlights the preference for foreign black academics over local ones as a challenge, urging universities to prioritise the employment of qualified black South African citizens to address unemployment.

# Rugby: Saudi Arabian investors are reportedly in talks to buy stakes in English top-flight clubs Leicester Tigers, Gloucester, Northampton Saints and Newcastle Falcons. The Telegraph reports Saudi investors could inject millions of pounds into the four Premiership outfits. World Cup-winning Springboks Handré Pollard and Jasper Wiese, currently playing for Leicester, headline a strong South African contingent, along with the likes of Ruan Ackermann, Juarno Augustus, Burger Odendaal and Philip van der Walt.

# And finally: Police in Canada are investigating the bizarre theft of a taxidermy polar bear weighing some 225-kilogrammes from a resort near Edmonton. The bear, standing some 3.6-meters tall, is believed to have been snatched during the cold snap in early January, when temperatures plummeted to near minus-30. It was reported stolen on 22 January by the operators of the Lily Lake Resort. The public has been asked to keep an eye out for the giant stuffed bear.

Stay tuned for more news………….