News 13:00

BULLETIN 8 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Cape Independence Party says South Africa is a fully fledged mafia state
# ActionSA says Gauteng is facing an organised-crime emergency
# And cricket: Australia extends its lead at the top of the World Test Championship table

# The Cape Independence Party says South Africa is no longer a failing state; it is a fully fledged mafia state. This follows the murder of Marius van der Merwe, who was shot dead outside his Brakpan home in Gauteng after testifying at the Madlanga commission of inquiry last month. The party’s spokesperson, Frans Martins, says every year, investigators, prosecutors, witnesses and whistleblowers are assassinated in the country because the system rewards the killers and punishes the truth-tellers:

Meanwhile, ActionSA in Gauteng says the province is facing an organised-crime emergency and innocent communities are paying the price for the state’s failure to maintain order. This follows the horrific mass shooting at a tavern at Saulville Hostel, Atteridgeville, in the west of Pretoria this weekend where at least 12 people were killed and 13 injured. ActionSA’s spokesperson, Zwelithini Mtshali says residents in townships, suburbs and informal settlements live under siege while criminals act with growing boldness:

# Seven people have died in an accident involving a sedan and a light delivery vehicle on the N12 between Ogies and Emalahleni in Mpumalanga this morning. Authorities say the crash happened when one of the drivers lost control and the vehicle crossed collided with the vehicle in the opposite lane. Provincial Department of Community Safety’s spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi, says five of the victims were occupants of the sedan, and two were in the other vehicle:

Moving abroad:

# The Economic Community of West African States has ordered the deployment of a regional troop comprising personnel from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast and Ghana to Benin. This follows yesterday’s attempted coup in Benin, which resulted in 13 soldiers being arrested. Ecowas says the deployment of troops is to preserve constitutional order and the territorial integrity of Benin. Meanwhile, the African Union has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance toward any unconstitutional change of government, regardless of context or justification.

# Cricket: Australia has extended its lead at the top of the World Test Championship table with a perfect record from its first five matches. The Aussies went 2-0 up in the Ashes series when beating England by eight wickets in the second Test in Brisbane yesterday. England has dropped to seventh in the table. Defending champions South Africa remains in second place with 36 points, having won three Tests and losing one. Sri Lanka is third, with Pakistan and India wrapping up the top five.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-98-cents and the euro at 19-rand-79-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-63-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-43-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-208-dollars-98-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-31-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….