News 17:00

BULLETIN 19 December 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Border Management Authority is on high alert as border movements increase with major law enforcement successes recorded
# South Africa records a sharp decline in festive season road fatalities
# And motorsport: Norris will use number one on his car next season and Verstappen will use number three

# The Border Management Authority has recorded a significant law-enforcement breakthrough. Spokesperson Mmemme Mogotsi says the law enforcement component at Kosi Bay in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday intercepted two Mozambican nationals who entered South Africa from their country. She says a search of their vehicle led to the recovery of 46 fraudulently stamped Mozambican passports. She says 34-thousand-890-rand in cash was recovered:

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy has announced a 21-percent drop in road fatalities since the beginning of this month. She released the mid-festive season road safety report in Somerset West, Cape Town. Creecy says deaths on the roads fell from 545 last year to 431 this year. She has, however, urged motorists to remain cautious, as the Western Cape recorded 66 deaths in 55 accidents during the same period:

# Johannesburg mayoral committee member for Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, says water and electricity will be cut at the hijacked Zambezi Building in the CBD. The move follows a multi-agency, intelligence-driven raid after the fatal shooting of DJ Warras. Authorities verified occupants’ identities, searched for firearms and illegal activity, and detained six persons of interest. He confirmed that non-paying and illegal occupants are being removed to restore order:

# Motorsport: Four-time Fomula One world champion Max Verstappen will race with the number three on his Red Bull car next season. The Dutchman  relinguished the number one to Lando Norris of McLaren after the Briton clinched his first title recently. Verstappen says three had always been his favourite number – apart from one – and he had decided not to return to the 33 he previously used. The new season starts in Melbourne, Australia, in the first weekend of March.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-78-cents and the euro at 19-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-44-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-899-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-333-dollars-14-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 59-dollars-93-cents a barrel.

# And finally: White South African refugees to America could get a copy of president Donald Trump’s biography for children as part of a welcome pack. Donald Trump Biography for Kids: An Inspirational Story of One of America’s Most Famous Presidents, was suggested by a Trump appointee serving in the Department of Health and Human Services. It portrays him as an inspirational figure whose life is a masterclass in determination, resilience, confidence, and dreaming big. It’s uncertain how much the US government will have to pay for the book.

Stay tuned for more news………….