News 18:00

BULLETIN 19 December 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A suspect in the DJ Warras murder will be arrested by Monday
# Cape Town enters a partnership to support safe customary initiation practices
# And, City Power will not tolerate criminality on its infrastructure

# National police commissioner Fannie Masemola says a suspect in the murder of Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock will be arrested before Monday. Stock was assassinated outside the hijacked Zambezi building in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Family and friends held a memorial service in Sandton today. Masemola confirmed police have identified a known suspect and are closing in as investigations continue:

# The City of Cape Town has received approval to enter into a first-of-its-kind memorandum of agreement with the Western Cape government, to support safe and dignified initiation practices across the metro. The approval allows the metro to support initiation schools by providing several services, including ensuring reliable water and infrastructure support. Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says the estimated costs are around 518-thousand-100-rand annually:

# City Power says the involvement of contractor-linked individuals in infrastructure sabotage is deeply concerning and represents a gross violation of trust. Six individuals linked to a City Power contractor were arrested after being caught allegedly cutting an underground copper cable during an intelligence-driven security operation in Fordsburg. City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, says criminal activity linked to contractors undermines service delivery and public safety:

# Cricket: New Zealand Cricket CEO Scott Weenink has stepped down, citing differences with several member associations and the players’ association. He will step away from the position at the end of next month after a two-and-a-half-year stint. Weenink says he does not wish to create ongoing instability by continuing without the support of some key stakeholders. His resignation comes in the wake of news that plans were being put in place to launch a franchise-based T20 league, the NZ-20, in the country by January 2027.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-76-cents and the euro at 19-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 87-thousand-995-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-329-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 59-dollars-90-cents a barrel.

# And finally, whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales. Researchers used drones carrying sterile petri dishes to capture droplets from the exhaled breath, combined with skin biopsies taken from boats. The virus is highly contagious and spreads easily among dolphins, whales, and porpoises, causing severe disease and mass deaths. It can jump between species and travel across oceans, posing a significant threat. The researchers hope the discovery will help spot deadly threats to ocean life early, before spreading.

Stay tuned for more news………….