News 10:00

BULLETIN 2 January 10 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA calls for transparency about the multinational naval exercise
# A drowning incident in KwaZulu-Natal leaves two dead and two missing
# And South African cities had some of the continent’s lowest safety rankings in 2025

# The DA is requesting a full parliamentary briefing on the South African National Defence Force’s upcoming multinational naval exercise Will for Peace 2026. The exercise, which will be led by China and includes participation by Russia and Iran, will involve joint maritime safety operations, interoperability drills and maritime protection serials. The DA’s Chris Hattingh says they want answers on the objectives of the naval exercise, costs, and implications:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured South Africans that the recommendations of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry will be fully implemented. He established the commission to investigate criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system in July of last year. Last month, the president received the commission’s interim report, which won’t be made public. In his New Year’s message, Ramaphosa stated that the commission’s recommendations will help restore faith in the integrity of the police:

# The search for two bathers who are believed to have been swept out to sea while swimming at Main Beach, Pennington, on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast has resumed today. This follows a mass casualty drowning incident on Thursday, where three people were rescued, and two died. The National Sea Rescue Institute’s Craig Lambinon says police have opened an inquest docket for the two deceased cases:

# Soccer: Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has left the club after 18 months in charge. The 45-year-old Italian, whose contract was due to run to 2029, departs after leading the London club to the Club World Cup at the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have won just one of their past seven Premier League matches, and sit 15 points behind leaders Arsenal. Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is the leading contender to replace Maresca. Chelsea take on Manchester City on Sunday.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-52-cents and the euro at 19-rand-41-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-767-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-378-dollars-56-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-12-cents a barrel.

# And finally, South African cities have dominate Africa’s lowest safety rankings in 2025. This comes as safety is fast becoming a competitive edge for African cities chasing investment and talent. According to Numbeo data, the world’s largest resource for quality of life data, shows Pretoria ranks last, followed by Johannesburg, Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town due to persistent crime challenges. Kigali in Rwanda, Tunis in Tunisia, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Rabat and Casablanca in Morocco are the safest major cities at the end of 2025, attracting investors, skilled professionals and tourists.

Stay tuned for more news………….