News 08:00

BULLETIN 31 December 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Road Traffic Management Corporation cautions revellers to respect the road rules on New Year’s Eve
# A hyena kills a three-year-old girl at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
# And Cricket: Cricket SA hails the Proteas after a dramatic win over Pakistan to reach the Test Champs final

# The Road Traffic Management Corporation has cautioned motorists to celebrate New Years eve responsibly and to obey traffic laws. Spokesperson Simon Zwane says law enforcement will be stepped up to ensure safety, especially around entertainment areas. Drivers are advised to remain cautious in wet conditions and avoid dangerous behaviour:

# A three-year-old girl was killed by a hyena at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve two days after Christmas. Ntando Mhlaba and her mother were visiting her father who works as a game ranger at one of the privately owned safari lodges operating within the larger reserve. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Ntando was playing outside the lodge premises with a friend on Friday when the hyena grabbed her. The warden at Timbavati, Edwin Pierce, told News24 the incident underscores the inherent risks of living alongside wild animals.

# South African National Parks has urged visitors celebrating New Year’s Eve near Table Mountain National Park to act responsibly and avoid activities that could cause fires. SANParks particularly cautions against setting off fireworks along Signal Hill and Tafelberg roads. SANParks warns that the fynbos ecology at Table Mountain is highly fire-prone, and that fireworks could spark uncontrolled wildfires.

# The United Nations says climate change sparked a trail of extreme weather and record heat in 2024, and urges the world to pull back from the road to ruin. The UN’s weather and climate agency, the World Meteorological Organisation, says the outgoing year is set to be the warmest ever recorded, capping a decade of unprecedented heat. It says emissions of greenhouse gasses grew to new record highs, locking in more heat for the future. It says climate change plays out before the world’s eyes almost daily.

# Cricket: Cricket South Africa has congratulated the Proteas on securing a place in the World Test Championship final following their two-wicket win over Pakistan in the first Test at Centurion. The victory means that South Africa will either play Australia or India in the WTC final, which will start on 11 June next year at Lords in England. CSA congratulated red ball head coach Shukri Conrad and said the achievement illustrates the determination and commitment Temba Bavuma and his team have shown over the past 18 months.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-80-cents and the euro at 19-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-59-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-502-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-605-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-49-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….