News 12:00

BULLETIN 10 December 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Institute of Race Relations warns that crime is choking South Africa’s economy
# The MK Party loses a bid challenging Mchunu’s suspension and the establishment of the Madlanga commission
# And tennis: Alcaraz and Sabalenka headline the Australian Open entry lists

# The Institute of Race Relations warns crime is costing South Africa up to 15-percent of its gross domestic product annually. It says short-term policing operations are not enough, and only structural reform within police can restore public trust and tackle organised crime. Spokesperson Ricardo Teixeira says weak leadership and political interference help criminal networks thrive, while businesses face unpredictable risks:

# The High Court in Pretoria has dismissed the MK Party’s bid to set aside president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to place Police minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave. The court has also dismissed the challenge to the appointment of Firoz Cachalia as acting Police minister and the establishment of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Judge Anthony Millar has ruled that suspending a minister pending serious but unverified allegations and instituting an independent inquiry to establish the facts are both rational and lawful exercises of executive power.

# The Cape Winelands Airport has appointed WBHO as main contractor for its eight-billion-rand expansion, marking a major step in creating South Africa’s next-generation aviation hub. It will include a new boutique terminal, upgraded runways, enhanced cargo operations, and a modernised general aviation precinct. Spokesperson Deon Cloete says the development could sustain over 100-thousand jobs over 20 years, boosting tourism and investment:

# Tennis: The Australian Open has released its entry lists for next year, with 99 of the world’s top-100 men and 98 of the top-100 women heading to Melbourne. World number one Carlos Alcaraz of Spain headlines the men’s field, which includes defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy and ten-time champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus leads the women’s list, which includes defending champion Madison Keys of America and Poland’s Iga Swiatek. Eight wildcards and 16 qualifiers will round out the 128-player fields in both singles events.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-1-cent and the euro at 19-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-704-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-204-dollars-81-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-87-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to pioneering elephant conservationist Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who died aged 83 in Nairobi. Douglas-Hamilton spent his life studying and campaigning to protect African elephants, becoming a world-leading expert on their behaviour in the wild. His groundbreaking research exposed the devastating effects of poaching and was instrumental in the banning of the international ivory trade. Prince William praised Douglas-Hamilton as a man who dedicated his life to conservation and whose life’s work leaves a lasting impact on the appreciation and understanding of elephants.

Stay tuned for more news………….