News 12:00

BULLETIN 12 December 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The latest poll shows Fikile Mbalula currently leads the ANC’s succession battle
# SANParks warn hikers to stay clear of Table Mountain above Camps Bay
# And cricket: The Proteas Women hope to build on the T20 series victory in the ODIs against Ireland

# ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has emerged as the top candidate for the party’s presidency in 2027. In a poll of general voters by the Social Research Foundation, Mbalula received 19-percent of the votes, followed by 18-percent for deputy president Paul Mashatile. Among ANC votes, Mbalula received 29-percent and Mashatile 14-percent. Deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane and the speaker of Parliament, Thoko Didiza, are also being publicly mooted as candidates. Businessman Patrice Motsepe has also been tipped as a potential candidate, but has stated he will not stand.

# The EFF is calling on its members to prepare for a war in next year’s local government elections, aimed at reclaiming control of municipalities from corrupt and ineffective officials. EFF leader Julius Malema told the media the upcoming elections will be a decisive battle to take back service delivery, strengthen governance and remove failed coalition administrations in key metros:

# Authorities have issued a safety alert for Camps Bay in Cape Town. SANParks spokesperson JP Louw says rangers and security forces are actively searching the Table Mountain hiking trails above the area, with drones assisting in the operation. He strongly advised hikers to avoid the trails until further notice for their own safety:

Moving abroad:

# Russia’s Ministry of Defence says its air defence systems destroyed 90 Ukranian drones over the country and the Black Sea overnight. In the city of Tver, 181 kilometres northwest of Moscow, local authorities say seven people had been injured. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin says eight drones had been destroyed as they were flying towards the Russian capital. The city’s Sheremetyevo Airport had suspended departures amid the attacks, and several other airports had also been briefly closed overnight.

# Cricket: Proteas Women’s captain, Laura Wolvaardt, says they hope to build on their T20 series victory over Ireland when they face the same opposition in three one-day matches from tomorrow. South Africa recorded comprehensive victories in the first two T20s before the final one rained out. Tomorrow’s match in East London will be the Proteas’ first in the format since losing to India in last month’s World Cup final. Wolvaardt expects Ireland to bounce back hard and realises they have to be at their best.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-84-cents and the euro at 19-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-53-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-399-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-294-dollars-46-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-40-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….