News 13:00

BULLETIN 2 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Mantashe announces adjustment of fuel prices from tomorrow
# Zuma calls out the ANC for a lack of response to voters concerns
# And, cricket: Elgar wants to end his Test career with a series win over India

# Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, has announced adjustments to fuel prices effective from tomorrow. According to the department’s manager for the Energy Division, Robert Maake, the prices are set to decrease primarily due to a decline in crude oil prices. Maake says motorists are expected to benefit as the slate levy decreases from 26.32- to zero-cents-per-litre starting tomorrow. He says this adjustment reflects current local and international factors impacting fuel prices:

 Meanwhile, the N3 Toll Concession says the alarming number of serious and fatal road crashes on the N3 Toll Route between KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Gauteng this festive season is a cause of major Concern. Operations manager Thania Dhoogra says these accidents cause severe stress for the families involved, and also for members of the emergency services who attend to these horrific crash scenes. Dhoogra says busy traffic conditions are expected from today on the N3 northbound towards Gauteng:

# Former president Jacob Zuma has called out the ANC for its lack of response to voters concerns. Zuma was speaking at the Moses Mabhida centennial celebration in Pietermaritzburg over the weekend. Zuma said before and after the 2021 local government elections, people had cautioned the ANC not to choose Cyril Ramaphosa as its leader, but that these warnings had gone unheeded. Zuma also disclosed that, since January, he has secretly conferred with pastors and traditional leaders as a campaigner for the MK party. He added there is no other time to fix the country, but now.

# Cricket: Stand-in Proteas captain Dean Elgar hopes to end his Test career on a high by sealing a series victory over India. The second and final Test starts at Newlands in Cape Town tomorrow after South Africa won the first Test in Centurion by an innings and 32 runs within three days. Elgar took over the captaincy after Temba Bavuma was injured. Thirty-six-year-old Elgar, who announced his Test retirement before the first encounter, contributed a brilliant 185 in the Proteas’ only innings at SuperSport Park.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-30-cents and the euro at 20-rand-19-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 45-thousand-724-dollars-28-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-74-dollars-62-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-38-cents a barrel.

# And to end with: Today marks the solemn anniversary of the tragic event two years ago, when the National Assembly buildings were set on fire. The alleged arsonist, Zandile Mafe, has been declared unfit to stand trial by the High Court in the Western Cape. An independent investigation commissioned by Parliament disclosed that the fire could have been prevented if the Parliamentary Protection Services were on duty during the long weekend. In response, nine officials were placed on precautionary suspension due to alleged security breaches.

Stay tuned for more news………….