News 18:00

BULLETIN 22 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA lodges an ethics complaint against Blade Nzimande over alleged kickbacks
# An education psychologist calls on parents to help learners cope with failure
# And cricket: Glenn Maxwell is being investigated for an alcohol-related incident

# The DA has filed an ethics complaint against Higher Education, Science and Innovation minister Blade Nzimande, accusing him of receiving kickbacks from a National Student Financial Aid Scheme service provider. The party urges the joint parliamentary committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests to probe potential violations of parliamentary ethics and the mismanagement of public funds. The DA’s Chantel King says Nzimande denies the allegations revealed by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, but has not presented evidence. King demands Nzimande’s dismissal:

# Educational psychologist Nicola Buhr has urged parents to support learners who didn’t perform well in the 2023 matric exams. Stressing the potential mental health consequences, she advises parents to communicate with their children to understand their genuine feelings about the results. Buhr told eNCA this understanding will help determine the appropriate course of action to provide the necessary support:

# EFF leader Julius Malema has joined other delegates for the presidential inauguration of Liberia’s Joseph Boakai, who won the election against George Weah in November. Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, Malema urged Boakai’s administration to fulfill its obligations to Liberians, criticising Weah’s failure to heed the will of the people. He also reaffirmed that the EFF’s Liberia chapter will engage with Boakai’s administration to ensure effective leadership. Boakai assumes the presidency for a six-year term.

# Cricket: Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is being investigated after he was injured during an alcohol-related incident. He reportedly attended a concert in Adelaide when an ambulance was called, and stayed in hospital for a brief period. Maxwell was in the city for a celebrity golfing event. Cricket Australia denied the incident was the reason for him being left out of the national one-day squad for a three-match series against the Windies, saying the decision relates to his individual management plan. Maxwell is expected to return for the T20 series.

# And finally: Yet another Springbok World Cup winner is set to become a dad. Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk’s wife, Miné, is reportedly pregnant with the couple’s first child. The news was shared on Instagram by the wife of Bok prop Vincent Koch, Jandré. De Klerk and Miné were married in Franschhoek in the Boland in October 2022. This follows the announcement by lock Eben Etzebeth and his wife, Anlia, that their first-born, a girl, was born last week, while flyhalf Handré Pollard and scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies’s wives are also pregnant.

Stay tuned for more news………….