News 07:00

BULLETIN 6 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Basic Education says the matric exam still meets national and international benchmarks
# The police arrest more than 16-thousand suspects during the festive season
# And, the US ambassador to the UN says Nicolás Maduro was an illegitimate so-called president

# The Department of Basic Education says South Africa’s National Senior Certificate continues to meet national and international benchmarks. This as the Freedom Front Plus bemoaned the fact that departmental officials were implicated in leaking matric exam papers, saying this erodes confidence in the public education system. The department says international experience shows that no examination authority, public or private, is entirely insulated from human misconduct. It adds that the NSC continues to underpin access to higher education, skills development, and employment, and is widely trusted by universities and employers.

# Police have arrested more than 16-thousand suspects nationwide during Operation Shanela in the final week of the festive season. Arrests included suspects linked to murder, rape, drug dealing, illegal immigration, and aggravated robbery, with several breakthroughs reported in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and other provinces. Police spokesperson Amanda van Wyk says the operation dealt a strong blow to festive-season crime and helped keep communities safer:

# Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero says contingency plans are in place as Rand Water begins the final 54-hour maintenance at Eikenhof Pump Station. Residents are warned that full system recovery will take at least seven days after Thursday. Alternative water will be supplied via stationary and roaming tankers. Morero urged councillors to communicate with communities, while the city promises regular updates. He says the work is essential for long-term water security:

# US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, says America will not waver in its efforts to protect citizens from the scourge of narcoterrorism, and seeks peace, liberty, and justice for the great people of Venezuela. Ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a US military operation on Saturday and face charges including drug-terrorism conspiracy and weapons trafficking. Addressing the UN Security Council, Waltz insisted the US is not at war with Venezuela:

# Motorsport: Formula One debutants, Cadillac, have appointed Zhou Guanyu as their reserve driver for this season. The Chinese driver held the same role at Ferrari last year after losing his Sauber race seat at the end of 2024. Guanyu will provide back-up to Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, while former IndyCar racer Colton Herta will fulfil the role of test driver. During his time on the grid, Zhou competed in 68 Grand Prix races and scored points on seven occasions.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-36-cents and the euro at 19-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-15-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-923-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-440-dollars-1-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-49-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….