News 11:00

BULLETIN 15 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for more protection of the country’s children
# Activists and Citizens Forum says the Madlanga Commission’s interim report cannot be kept a secret
# And the Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife are found dead at their LA home

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the best way to secure South Africa’s future is to invest in the health, safety and well-being of its children. A StatsSA report shows child poverty declined in 2023, but the child poverty rate is still the highest for any age group. Meanwhile, over 26-thousand cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in the 2024/25 financial year. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa says the experience of children today will determine the nation’s social and economic well-being over the next 20 years.

# Activists and Citizens Forum is concerned about reports that the Madlanga commission of inquiry’s interim report will not be made public. Ramaphosa established the inquiry following explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, of corruption and interference in the criminal justice system. The forum’s spokesperson, Dennis Bloem, says South Africans won’t accept the decision to keep the report a secret:

# The KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature is today set to vote on a motion of no confidence against premier Thamsanqa Ntuli. The motion, tabled by the MK Party, accuses Ntuli of financial mismanagement and leadership failures since taking office in June last year. The MK Party is hoping to take over the governance of the province with the help of the EFF and the NFP, which is no longer part of the provincial coalition government of the ANC–DA–IFP. The IFP Youth Brigade has dismissed the no‑confidence bid as political grandstanding.

Moving abroad:

# Los Angeles police are investigating an apparent homicide after 78-year-old legendary Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner and his 67-year-old wife, Michele, were found dead at their home in Brentwood. The couple was discovered by a family member, reportedly with stab wounds. Reiner directed beloved classics such as This Is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, and When Harry Met Sally after starring in the trailblazing sitcom All in the Family. The couple’s family has described their deaths as tragic.

# Cricket: England’s coach, Brendon McCullum, says his players have a massive chance in the third Ashes Test against Australia to change the narrative. The tourists were crushed in the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane by eight wickets, and only a victory at Adelaide Oval this week will be enough to keep the five-match series alive. McCullum says they are unlikely to make any batting changes in the third Test:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-84-cents and the euro at 19-rand-76-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-51-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-614-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-342-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-22-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….