News 13:00

BULLETIN 6 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Illegal miners reveal captivity hunger under armed Basotho men
# ActionSA in Gauteng calls for an overhaul of the justice system
# And cabinet approves the national policy on women in sport framework

# Six illegal miners who resurfaced from Stilfontein’s Shaft 11 in North West this morning, claimed they were forced to use gold to buy food donated underground by armed Basotho men. According to News24, the Mozambican men, arrested after midnight, described harrowing conditions, including sharing porridge among six people and surviving on cockroaches during a three-day escape. They allege over 800 miners remain trapped under the armed men’s control.

# ActionSA in Gauteng says the criminal justice system requires a complete overhaul, to ensure that criminals are not just arrested but are successfully prosecuted. The party’s John Moodey says despite some very innovative efforts made and the recent six-percent decrease in crime statistics in the province, crime remains a major concern. He says to effectively deal with crime, government needs to address the root causes such as poverty and unemployment:

Meanwhile, the National Prosecuting Authority in Gauteng says it continues to struggle with finalising complex corruption cases due to a shortage of prosecutors with specialised skills. The North Gauteng director of Public Prosecutions, Sibongile Mzinyathi, says despite the challenges, his office has secured an impressive conviction rate on the cases they handled, including a 90.5-percent conviction rate in complex commercial crimes:

# On to sports news: Cabinet has approved the national policy on women in sports framework, aimed at increasing women’s participation in sports and leadership roles. The policy seeks to address gender inequality and discrimination by promoting equity, and ensuring women receive equal recognition and remuneration as their male counterparts. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the policy also outlines measures to support women in sports, tackle funding barriers, and ensure gender equality in sporting codes:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-1-cents and the euro at 19-rand-5-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-198-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-643-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The University of South Africa won the best-designed and accessible website award for its corporate website at the 2024 dot.z-a awards, held in Sandton. This annual event, hosted by the dot.z-a Domain Name Authority, recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations to the growth of the internet in South Africa. FNB and Sassa were also nominated. Unisa’s professor Boitumelo Senokoane says this recognition highlights the institution’s commitment to providing a platform that prioritises inclusivity, exceptional user experience, and cutting-edge digital design.

Stay tuned for more news………….