News 11:00

BULLETIN 4 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A clash of campaigns for the ANC and MK Party is threatening in Mpumalanga as Jacob Zuma is speaking there
# Dozens are killed in twin blasts near a slain Iran commander’s grave
# And, Golf: Rory McIlroy says LIV Golf should become like cricket’s Indian Premier League

# The ANC and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party will host separate events in Mpumalanga on Saturday, with former president Jacob Zuma speaking at the MK event. According to Mpumalanga ANC chairperson Mandla Ndlovu, ANC branches were perturbed by the move to bring the campaign to Mpumalanga, mainly because the area had offered Zuma a “haven” during turbulent periods in his political career.  The ANC’s spokesperson, Obama Masango, says Ndlovu met with branches to discuss the ANC’s 112th birthday celebration next Saturday at the Mbombela Stadium:

# The City of Johannesburg says it is confident that an urgent solution will be reached, for Rea Vaya services to operate as soon as possible. Workers blocked Rea Vaya Dobsonville Bus Depot in Soweto yesterday. PioTrans’s business rescue practitioner is in direct negotiation with the employees to determine the payment date of the 13th cheque. Rea Vaya spokesperson, Benny Makgoga says, buses cannot operate due to a labour issue which has resulted in the suspension of Rea Vaya buses until further notice:

# Gauteng premier, Panyaza Lesufi, and minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, have requested president Cyril Ramaphosa to honour Peter Magubane with an official provincial funeral. Lesufi and Kodwa visited the grieving family in Ormonde in the south of Johannesburg yesterday. The renowned photographer died on Monday at the age of 91. Lesufi says Magubane covered the most historic moments in the liberation struggle against apartheid:

# At least 95 people were killed Wednesday in the Iranian city of Kerman after twin blasts near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani. The blasts came on the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death in a US air strike, and threatens to accelerate tensions in the region that have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.  The first explosion was 700 metres from Soleimani’s grave, and the second one kilometre away. No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi blamed Israel for the explosions.

# Golf: Rory McIlroy says he would be open to play in a tournament backed by LIV Golf if it became more like cricket’s Indian Premier League. McIlory has been a staunch opponent of LIV which has recruited high-profile players and fractured golf.  Merger talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which funds LIV, will continue in 2024 in an attempt to end the split. Four-time major-winner McIlroy previously said he had accepted LIV is now part of the sport.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-63-cents and the euro at 20-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-66-dollars-82-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-47-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-69-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….