News 09:00

BULLETIN 13 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mbalula is criticised for arriving at Robben Island in a luxury yacht
# Five police officers have died in the line of duty since the beginning of the year
# And the death toll in Los Angeles rises to 24

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is facing criticism after arriving at Robben Island with a luxurious yacht belonging to businessman, Fernando Acafrao. This happened last Wednesday ahead of the ANC’s 113th anniversary celebrations in Khayelitsha, which were held on Saturday. Other ANC leaders used the Robben Island Museum ferry, Sikhululekile, while president Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in a chopper for security reasons. Acafrao has reportedly secured multiple multimillion-rand government contracts.

# Acting National Police Commissioner, Tebello Mosikili, has condemned the continued killing of police officers. In the latest incident, 32-year-old Constable Ayanda Moyikwa was fatally shot and robbed of his wallet and cellphone while on his way to work in Mfuleni in the Western Cape on Sunday. Five police officers have died in the line of duty since the beginning of the year. Mosikili says the ongoing attacks and killings of police officers should not be tolerated:

# Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Jackie Macie, has expressed concern at the killing of pedestrians. Three pedestrians, including two children, were killed when a motorist ploughed into five people on the D2945 Road on Sunday morning. The tragedy comes only two weeks after a motorist mowed down eight pedestrians, killing two on the N4 toll road from Tenbosch towards Komatipoort. The MEC’s spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, says an investigation into Sunday’s accident has been launched:

# The number of people confirmed dead in wildfires that are burning through Los Angeles has risen to 24. Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area. The largest fire is the Palisades, which is only eleven-percent contained. LA Fire Chief, Anthony Marrone, has warned that the return of the Santa Ana winds this week could lead to potentially disastrous conditions, with the whole of LA County put under fire threat:

# Golf: Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald says the Team Cup has been a worthwhile preparation for Europe’s Ryder Cup defence at Bethpage in September. Tommy Fleetwood claimed the winning point as Great Britain and Ireland completed a convincing 17-8 victory over Continental Europe in the Team Cup at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Sunday. Donald, who led Europe to a convincing win to regain the Ryder Cup in Italy in 2023, says the Team Cup has been a learning experience, especially for the young players.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-14-cents and the euro at 19-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-21-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-624-dollars-6-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-687-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….