News 13:00

BULLETIN 29 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The TLU SA renews its call for stakeholder engagement to combat farm murders in SA
# The South African economy continues to show resilience despite challenges
# And, very hot and uncomfortable weather advisory for parts of the Northern Cape and the Western Cape

# The agricultural organisation TLU SA has reiterated its calls for urgent engagement among all stakeholders to combat farm murders in the country. This follows the murder of the chairperson of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbongeni Skhakhane, in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg on the evening of Boxing Day. Bennie Van Zyl of the TLU SA says the government has largely neglected its constitutional responsibility to ensure crime prevention for the past 30 years:

# Econometrix chief economist Azar Jammine says despite South Africa’s economy facing volatility this year, marked by delayed budget tabling, the economy recorded three consecutive quarters of growth, supported by manufacturing, mining and trade. Jammine notes improving investment, an upgrade by Standard and Poor’s, and South Africa’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list as positives. However, he warns that structural challenges remain, while upcoming local government elections may heighten uncertainty.

# The South African Weather Service says very hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected in parts of the Northern Cape and the Western Cape. Extreme heat conditions are expected until 8pm this evening, with daytime temperatures forecast to climb into the mid to high 30s. The Garden Route District Municipality’s spokesperson, Herman Pieters, says prolonged heat could have serious health impacts, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children and those with underlying medical conditions:

# Iran carried out at least one-thousand-922 executions in 2025, more than twice the number recorded the previous year and the highest figure documented in over a decade. This is according to the latest report by the Human Rights Activists News Agency. At least ten executions were carried out in public, while the vast majority were conducted behind closed doors. The report also found that executions were overwhelmingly linked to two categories of charges. Murder cases accounted for 47.55-percent of executions, while 46.1-percent were related to drug offences.

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says the team is ready for their final Group B match against Zimbabwe in the Africa Cup of Nations in Marrakech, Morocco, today. A win or a draw in this match will see South Africa progress to the round of 16, having opened their campaign with a win against Angola before losing 1–0 to Egypt. Broos says they are bracing for a tough match against Zimbabwe:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-70-cents and the euro at 19-rand-68-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-52-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-444-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-463-dollars-26-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….