News 08:00

BULLETIN 3 January 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament’s rebuilding construction is set to commence in the first quarter of this year 
#  Sasco is concerned about NSFAS allowances for this academic year 
# And, five countries are now officially cemented as BRICS members

# Parliament says the rebuilding construction of buildings affected by the fire in 2022 is set to commence in the first quarter of this year and should be completed at the end of next year. Yesterday marked two years since a fire ravaged the National Assembly building, including its chamber and hundreds of offices. Parliament’s spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo says every South African will be afforded the opportunity to voice their opinions and contribute to the decision-making process regarding the design and functionality of their Parliament:

# Sasco president, Vezinhlanhla Simelane, says they are not confident that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme will pay allowances to beneficiaries on time for this academic year. The scheme confirmed that more than 20-thousand allowances are yet to be concluded for the 2023 academic year. Simelane told Newzroom Afrika that NSFAS was supposed to request the universities to assist those students:

# Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now officially full members of BRICS. Their membership became official on 1 January, after their inclusion was agreed to by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa at the 2023 BRICS summit in South Africa. Russia will chair BRICS in 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said they will spare no effort to ensure the harmonious integration of new members. Putin didn’t attend the 2023 summit in South Africa due to the International Criminal Court’s warrant for his arrest on charges of Ukrainian war crimes.

# Cricket: After making an impressive Test debut for South Africa against India last week, batter David Bedingham hopes to continue his Test career at Newlands in Cape Town in the second and final game tomorrow. The 29-year-old made 56 in the first Test in Centurion as the Proteas beat India by an innings within three days. Bedingham has played English county cricket for Durham since 2020, but grew up in Cape Town. He says it would be extra special if he plays at Newlands tomorrow:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-55-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-46-cents and Bitcoin trades at 45-thousand-244-dollars-88-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-64-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 75-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

# And finally, Cape Town residents and visitors yesterday came out in their thousands to support the iconic Cape Town Minstrel Carnival. The event, historically known as the Kaapse Klopse, kicked off in District Six, with thousands of people screaming, shouting, and dancing along with the Klopse. The festivity has its roots in colonial times when slaves were allowed to relax on the day after New Year’s Day. It is now seen as a celebration of the Cape’s diverse culture and marks the start of a competition where minstrels battle it out for the title of best troupe.

Stay tuned for more news………….