News 14:00

BULLETIN 8 January 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA says claims by unverified ad hoc committee witnesses could derail the process
# Tennis: Sabalenka impresses in the Australian Open warm-up
# And the South African animated film ‘David’ smashes box office expectations

# ActionSA’s member of Parliament’s ad hoc committee into political interference in the justice system, Darleen James, has warned that allegations by unverified witnesses could risk derailing the investigative process. Speaking during the first meeting for the year, James called for stronger verification, more legal resources, and improved witness protection. She backed the EFF’s calls for additional capacity and insisted activist Paul O’Sullivan must appear in person, saying South Africans expect decisive, credible outcomes:

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli has endorsed provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi for a second term, as his contract ends in March. This follows a meeting with national police commissioner Fannie Masemola. Mkhwanazi has been praised for strong crime-fighting leadership and for exposing alleged political interference and corruption in law enforcement. His actions led to the Madlanga commission and the parliamentary ad hoc committee probe. Ntuli says he is satisfied with Mkhwanazi’s performance and wants continuity in law enforcement.

# The DA in the Western Cape says it rallies behind Mossel Bay residents after the devastating fires that have destroyed homes and disrupted lives. The party has exteded heartfelt sympathy to families who have lost so much and gratitude to firefighters and volunteers risking their lives. The DA’s Venolea Fortuin says they support the Mossel Bay Municipality’s efforts to combat the devastation, and implore residents to continue standing together:

# Tennis: World number one Aryna Sabalenka says she still has room for improvement after a second dominant victory in the Brisbane International in Australia. Sabalenka notched a 6-3, 6-3 victory over 36-year-old Romanian Sorana Cirstea. The Belarusian will next play American Madison Keys, who beat her in the final of last year’s Australian Open. Sabalenka is targeting a third Australian Open title in four years when the first Grand Slam of the year begins in Melbourne on the 18th.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-49-cents and the euro at 19-rand-25-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-16-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-984-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-423-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A South African-produced animated film has delivered one of the country’s biggest cinema success stories, already raking in around 1.5-billion-rand at the global box office. David opened in second place internationally, just behind the latest Avatar sequel. Cape Town-based filmmaker Phil Cunningham says the response has exceeded expectations, calling it a milestone moment for local filmmaking. While David is a faith-based story, Cunningham stresses the film was made to appeal to a far wider audience. The production brought together more than 400 artists from 32 countries.

Stay tuned for more news………….