News 09:00

BULLETIN 4 December 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# South Africa votes in favour of a UN resolution calling on Russia to return Ukrainian children
# BOSA says the police are struggling to keep pace with the country’s crime level
# And ActionSA welcomes the positive steps in Gauteng’s adjustment budget

# South Africa has voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution, demanding that Russia ensure the immediate, safe, and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or deported. Ninety-one countries voted in favour of the motion, 12 against, including Russia, Sudan, and Iran, and 57 abstained. At least 20-thousand Ukrainian children have been abducted by Moscow since February 2022. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs deputy minister, Mariana Betsa, says Russia has made children the most vulnerable target of aggression:

# Build One South Africa says it is concerning that over the past decade, more than 21-million criminal cases were opened in the country, yet 61.7-percent of these cases were closed and unsolved. This, according to official data from the Police Ministry, translates to 13.2-million cases closed without resolution. BOSA’s spokesperson, Roger Solomons, says the clearance rate for criminal cases stands at just 37.5-percent, highlighting a system overwhelmed by a combination of rising crime and severe detective and police officer shortages:

# ActionSA has welcomed the Adjustment Budget tabled by Gauteng Finance MEC, Lebogang Maile, and measures aimed at strengthening financial management. The total adjustment for the province is 3.3-billion-rand which includes the rollovers, national and provincial funding. ActionSA’s Zwelithini Mtshali says the budget does, however, not adequately address the province’s worsening fiscal pressures, notably in the Department of Health:

# Soccer: Arsenal have restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after beating Brentford 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka saw the Gunners extend their unbeaten run to 18 games across all competitions and their eighth successive win at home. Defending champions Liverpool played to a 1-1 draw against Sunderland, while Aston Villa came from behind to beat Brighton 4-3. Chelsea suffered a 3-1 defeat to Leeds, leaving them nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-5-cents and the euro at 19-rand-88-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-73-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-448-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-196-dollars-89-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-75-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Former South African Revenue Services Commissioner, Oupa Magashula, has passed away at the age of 63. He died on Wednesday evening after a long illness. Magashula was appointed as SARS commissioner in 2008 and resigned in 2013, after an investigation into claims that he offered a woman a job without following procedure. His family says he served South Africa with distinction in both the public and private sectors, and will be remembered for his humility and unwavering commitment to the country.

Stay tuned for more news………….