News 10:00

BULLETIN 31 December 10 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Justice Department will oppose a court challenge to halt the appointment of a new NDPP
# Table Mountain National Park warns visitors to be fire-wise
# And cricket, Joburg Super Kings claim an emphatic bonus-point victory over the Durban Super Giants

# The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development says it will oppose a court application seeking to interdict the appointment of the National Director of Public Prosecutions. The legal challenge by Law firm B Xulu and Partners Incorporated argues that the advisory panel set up to search for the country’s next NDPP did not adequately consider the formal objection regarding advocate Hermione Cronje’s candidacy. The department’s spokesperson, Terrence Manase, says the court application is premature:

# Eskom says electricity faults across its supply areas nationwide are approximately 40-percent higher this festive season than during the same period last year. This is due to the adverse weather conditions being experienced in parts of the country. The provinces mostly affected include the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Free State. Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says electricity in the Free State has been restored to all customers, while in Limpopo it’s nearly 90-percent restored:

# With today being New Year’s Eve, Table Mountain National Park is appealing to all visitors and residents to be fire-wise and act responsibly while enjoying the park. Additional firefighting resources will be on standby, and Volunteer Wildfire Services will be actively patrolling known fire hotspots. SANParks spokesperson, JP Louw, says TMNP Fire Management has recorded a concerning increase in illegal fire incidents, with fire statistics for 2025 already exceeding December 2024’s monthly total by seven fires:

# Eurostar has partially reopened the tunnel that links Britain and France. Train services to and from continental Europe, on both Eurostar and Le Shuttle, were suspended on Tuesday after a power supply failure due to a technical fault and a failed Le Shuttle blocking all routes. This disrupted one of Europe’s busiest international rail corridors. Eurostar says customers will continue to experience significant delays today, adding that passengers can rearrange their plans free of charge or cancel their booking and get a refund or an e-voucher.

# Cricket: The Joburg Super Kings recorded their second successive win of the season in the SA20, with a six-wicket bonus-point victory over the Durban Super Giants at Kingsmead. Prenelan Subrayen and Richard Gleeson claimed three wickets each as the Super Giants were bowled out for 86. In reply, Rilee Rossouw scored 43 off 32 balls as the Super Kings reached the target with 7.4 overs to spare, propelling them into second place behind the table-topping Sunrisers Eastern Cape. 

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-60-cents and the euro at 19-rand-48-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-408-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-325-dollars-38-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-18-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….