News 07:00

BULLETIN 8 december 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says the non-payment of staff reflects poorly on the ANC
# Saai establishes an association for South Africans to find work in the USA
# And motorsport: Lando Norris wins the F1 world title for the first time

# ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says the non-payment of staff has been resolved, but has acknowledged that this issue reflects poorly on the organisation. Workers of the ANC at the headquarters at Luthuli House and some within provinces were once again confronted with late payment of salaries, unpaid provident funds, and medical aid contributions in November. Mbalula says they plan to raise funds through fundraising to cover over 20-million-rand in monthly expenses:

# The EFF is calling for a strengthened, independent witness protection service free of political and criminal interference. This follows the murder of Marius van der Merwe, who testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry last month as Witness D. He was shot dead outside his Brakpan home in Gauteng on Friday night. In his testimony, Van der Merwe implicated suspended Ekurhuleni deputy metro police chief Julius Mkhwanazi and private security personnel in violent crimes. The EFF says robust witness-protection measures are necessary for all individuals participating in the commission.

# The family farming network Saai has launched an association for agencies that help South Africans find work on farms in the United States of America. Saai board chairperson, Theo de Jager, says the association, H2A Agency Association or H2AAA, aims to protect and promote the integrity of the profession and the opportunities made available annually to South Africans and farm workers from elsewhere in the world:

The Freedom Front Plus demands that the murderers of Babita Deokaran, Cloete Murray and his son Thomas, Marius van der Merwe, and other whistleblowers be caught and prosecuted. Van der Merwe, a former Ekurhuleni Metro Police Officer and respected community leader, was murdered over the weekend – shortly after his testimony before the Madlanga Commission, where he exposed corruption and criminal connections. The FF Plus says van der Merwe played a crucial role in combating crime and illegal mining, especially in Plastic City, and he was loved in his community.

# The government of Benin says it has foiled an attempted coup by a small group of soldiers. The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, appeared on state television over the weekend, claiming to have toppled president Patrice Talon. Fourteen people have been arrested in connection with the attempted coup. Benin’s Interior minister, Alassane Seidou, says loyalist soldiers had been able to retain control of the situation and foil the attempt. The coup is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa.

# Motorsport: McLaren’s Lando Norris secured his maiden Formula One drivers’ championship by finishing third in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 26-year-old is the first McLaren world champion in 17 years and the eleventh British driver to claim the crown. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race to claim his eighth victory of the season, while Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri finished second. Norris says achieving his dream of winning the championship after a tough season is amazing:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-92-cents and the euro at 19-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 91-thousand-96-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-204-dollars-99-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….