News 13:00

BULLETIN 24 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The SA Council of Churches has renewed hope for the year ahead
# The Border Management Authority tightens control amid festive rush
# And, the Eastern Cape Hawks welcomes arrest of a third suspect in the murder of prosecutor Tracy Brown

# The South African Council of Churches wishes citizens a peaceful Christmas with family and renewed hope for the year ahead. The council’s general secretary, Mzwandile Molo, says they reflect on 2025 with gratitude but also concern about the state of the country and the world. He says they also have hope that South Africa will overcome its challenges:

# Assistant Commissioner at the Border Management Authority, Khuliseni Elijah Luvhengo, says stricter measures are being enforced at border posts to manage the festive travel surge. Officers are focusing on thorough checks while ensuring smooth passenger flow. Luvhengo says over one hundred people have been arrested for illegally crossing the border. He urges travellers to have documentation ready, follow regulations, and exercise patience:

# Eastern Cape Hawks’ acting provincial head, Venessa Hastings, has welcomed the arrest of a third suspect in connection with the assassination of public prosecutor Tracy Brown. She was gunned down in front of her house in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, in August this year. Two other suspects have been in custody since their arrest in September. Hawks spokesperson, Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, says the third suspect will make his first court appearance today:

# Three people, including two police officers, have been killed in a car explosion in Moscow this morning. This comes days after a senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing in the capital on Monday. Russia’s Investigative Committee says an explosive device was triggered when the officers approached a suspicious person near a police vehicle on Yeletskaya Street in the south of the capital. It says an investigation has been launched including the review of CCTV footage.

# Cricket: England fast bowler Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes series against Australia, after suffering a side strain, joining Mark Wood, who was sent home last month with a knee injury. Archer’s place in the squad for the fourth Test in Melbourne, starting on Boxing Day, is taken by Gus Atkinson, while Ollie Pope has been dropped and replaced by Jacob Bethell. England captain Ben Stokes praised Archer, saying the effort that he’s put in over the past three Tests has been exceptional.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-66-cents and the euro at 19-rand-66-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-53-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-795-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-485-dollars-15-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-14-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….