News 16:00

BULLETIN 20 January 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption case is postponed for disclosure discussions
# More than 711-thousand traffic fines were issued over the festive season
# And cricket: South Africa’s Under-19 women dismiss Samoa for just 16 runs to secure a 10-wicket victory

# The High Court in Pretoria has postponed the corruption and money laundering case against former speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. This delay seeks to allow discussions between the state and her legal team regarding her request for further disclosures containing correspondence and the investigation diary. Investigating Directorate Against Corruption spokesperson Henry Mamothame confirmed that her 50-thousand-rand bail was extended until the next court appearance:

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy has revealed that 711-thousand-184 traffic fines were issued nationwide during the 2024/25 festive season. Offenses included 23-thousand-607 seatbelt violations, 16-thousand-925 cellphone-related fines, and 16-thousand-527 unroadworthy vehicles. Over 997 roadblocks were conducted, through a multi-agency collaboration efforts. The minister urged drivers to adopt safer practices to curb crashes and fatalities:

# A study by the University of Cape Town’s Development Policy Research Unit has found that the 8.5-percent increase in the national minimum wage in 2024 had a minimal impact on employment, with job losses and reduced hours only slightly affecting workers. However, only 20-percent of the 5.4-million eligible workers received the full increase. In addition, compliance has remained a significant challenge despite the wage hike providing some protection for low-income workers. The proposed 2025 increase is inflation plus 1.5-percent.

# Trusts and provisional taxpayers are reminded that the deadline to file annual tax returns for the 2024 tax year is today. The filing period covers 1 March 2023 to 29 February 2024 . The South African Revenue Service has urged those yet to submit their returns to do so without delay to avoid penalties. A provisional taxpayer is anyone who earns income outside of regular remuneration, while trusts are also considered taxpayers under the Income Tax Act. They are urged to comply with tax obligations as non-compliance could lead to fines and interest.

# Cricket: South Africa’s Under-19 Women made World Cup history by dismissing Samoa for just 16 runs in Sarawak, Malaysia. It was the lowest innings total in Under-19 T20 World Cup history. Nthabiseng Nini claimed three wickets for just four runs, Fay Cowling two wickets for four runs, Seshnie Naidu took two wickets without conceding a run and Kayla Reyneke took two wickets for five runs. Openers Jemma Botha and Simoné Lourens then reached the winning target within ten balls. The team faces Nigeria on Wednesday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-76-cents and the euro at 19-rand-35-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-88-cents and Bitcoin trades at 106-thousand-89-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-708-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….