News 12:00
BULLETIN 23 January 12 pm
Good afternoon. I am……..
In this bulletin:
# Accountability Now’s director says voters have an opportunity to exact accountability
# The vegetation fire between Da Gama and Ocean View is contained
# And Tennis: Coco Gauff advances to her first Australian Open semifinal
# Accountability Now director, Paul Hoffman, says the upcoming elections are an opportunity to exact accountability from those who have governed, and a chance to replace those whose governance has proved disappointing. A total of 350 political parties have already registered for the elections. Hoffman says factors such as load-shedding, failing water infrastructure, poor health services, corruption, crime, a crippled criminal justice system and inferior education may inform how South Africans vote. He adds that everyone eligible to vote should do so out of informed self-interest, if for no other reason.
# Cape Town firefighters have managed to contain the vegetation fire between Da Gama and Ocean View. The fire started yesterday afternoon and was fanned by a strong south-easterly wind. Jermaine Carelse of the city’s Fire and Rescue Service says although resources have been scaled back at the site, they are on alert for any flare-ups:
# The Development Bank of Southern Africa is set to play a role in the public procurement of seven-thousand-615 megawatts of new electricity generation and storage capacity. To date, it has invested 12.4-billion-rand into various projects procured since the launch of South Africa’s first independent power producer auctions in 2011. The state-owned development financier says it will now seek to participate in the three bidding rounds launched last month for renewable energy, gas to power and battery storage.
# Tennis: American Coco Gauff is through to the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career. She battled passed Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, in three-hours-and-eight-minutes. This is the reigning US Open champion’s 12th straight major match win and she has not lost a match this year. Gauff says she left everything on the court today:
# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-11-cents and the euro at 20-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-34-cents and Bitcoin trades at 39-thousand-612-dollars-77-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-29-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-25-cents a barrel.
# The City of Cape Town’s child safety initiative Identikidz has concluded with impressive results. Over 130-thousand children were tagged, marking the highest number in the past three seasons. Only 302 kids were lost, the lowest in three years, showcasing the project’s effectiveness. Strand emerged as the busiest beach, with 21-thousand-536 children tagged and 67 reunions. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, urges continued vigilance as summer persists.
Stay tuned for more news………….