News 11:00

BULLETIN 31 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Correctional Services says there is nothing sinister about Matlala being moved to a super-maximum prison
# The UN chief is calling on world leaders to get their priorities straight in 2026
# And in motorsport, Max Verstappen is voted the F1 Driver of the Year for the fifth successive time

# The Department of Correctional Services says there is nothing sinister about the decision to transfer attempted murder accused businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, to the country’s only super-maximum prison, the Ebongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal. He was moved from the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria on 21 December. The department’s spokesperson, Singabakho Nxumalo, says the transfer of detainees from one prison to another is based on security assessments and operational demands:

# Police arrested 16-thousand-692 suspects nationwide in a single week as part of intensified festive season operations. The arrests between 22 and 28 December included suspects linked to murder, rape, assault, robbery, drug dealing and illegal mining. Police spokesperson, Amanda van Wyk, says particular emphasis was placed on alcohol-related offences, with one-thousand-603 people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and 963 for illegal liquor trading:

# The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department Tactical Response Unit has arrested a 26-year-old Zimbabwean national linked to a series of cellphone snatching incidents across Gauteng. In a viral video, the suspect is seen forcefully snatching a cellphone from a woman outside a Pretoria restaurant on Monday before fleeing the scene. Police spokesperson, Xolani Fihla, says information obtained during the suspect’s arrest led officers to his accomplices:

# United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, says the world stands at a crossroad, warning that conflict, climate breakdown and systemic violations of international law are eroding trust in leaders around the world. In his New Year message, he highlighted the scale of global suffering, noting that more than a quarter of humanity now lives in conflict-affected areas, with 200 million people needing humanitarian aid. Guterres says the future depends on humanity’s collective courage to act:

# Motorsport: Four-time Formula 1 world champion, Max Verstappen, has been voted Driver of the Year by his colleagues for the fifth straight year. The Red Bull driver won six of the final nine Grands Prix races to finish just two points shy of championship leader Lando Norris. McLaren’s Norris, who clinched his maiden world title, finished second in the ranking with Mercedes’ George Russell, who won two Grand Prix races and seven further podiums, in third. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top five.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-60-cents and the euro at 19-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-35-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-341-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-330-dollars-48-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-22-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….