News 06:00

BULLETIN 6 January 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A level 8 weather warning is issued for KwaZulu-Natal
# The biggest winter storm in over a decade hits the US
# And cricket: The Proteas are on top but Pakistan is fighting back

# The South African Weather Service has issued a Level 8 warning for distributive rainfall predicted over large parts of KwaZulu-Natal today and continuing into Wednesday. The Service said the rain could lead to widespread flooding of roads and settlements, a danger to life, and the loss of livestock along the coast of KwaZulu-Natal. It could potentially disrupt major routes across the province during a time when holidaymakers will be travelling back home. The KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, said disaster management teams have been placed on high alert.

Meanwhile, the Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has noted with concern the severe rains and thunderstorms that have caused damage in Welkom in the Free State. Spokesperson, Zimasa Mbewu, says at this stage the department cannot confirm if a tornado or severe thunderstorms caused the damage but they are waiting on a confirmation report from the South African Weather Service:

# The Western Cape Provincial Government says it is concerned over the 106 fatal crashes and 122 fatalities recorded on municipal and provincial roads during the festive period from the first of December until the first of January. The provincial MEC for Mobility, Isaac Sileku says. At the same time, these figures represent an improvement compared to the same period last year, they underline the critical need for heightened road safety efforts:

# The National Student Financial Aid Scheme will open its student accommodation portal today for all its beneficiaries and applicants who qualify for the 2025 academic year. The applications will remain open for all institutions until all the scheme-accredited properties are filled. NSFAS will still re-evaluate the accredited properties that were identified not to be meeting the Policy on the Minimum Norms and Standards for Student Housing. The scheme says should such properties be found not to be compliant, their accreditation certificates will be revoked.

# A powerful weather system is set to batter at least a dozen states with blizzard conditions, accompanied by winds gusting up to 80 kilometres per hour. The winter storm will create treacherous travel conditions and potential power outages across a vast region stretching from Missouri to the mid-Atlantic, affecting up to 62-million people. The storm started in the middle of the US and will move east in the next couple of days. Forecasters say the extreme weather is being caused by the polar vortex, an area of cold air that circulates the Arctic.

# Cricket: Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Shan Masood faced South Africa’s attack on Sunday to end day three in their second innings of the second test at Newlands in Cape Town on 213 for one, after being bowled out for 194 in their first innings. Masood’s ton gave his side a glimmer of hope and his partnership with Babar was Pakistan’s best opening stand ever against South Africa. At stumps, the tourists were still 208 runs away from making South Africa bat again. Masood on 102 and Khurram Shahzad on 9 will resume play today.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-75-cents and the euro at 19-rand-30-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-466-dollar-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-641-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 76-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….