News 15:00

BULLETIN 9 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A defence analyst warns naval exercise exposes the SA Navy’s weaknesses
# The Christian Forum calls on Mothibi to focus on the prosecution of high-level corruption
# And rugby: The Cheetahs and the Lions hope to get their Challenge Cup season back on track this weekend

# Defence analyst Helmut Heitman says South Africa’s participation in naval exercises with China, Russia and Iran in Cape Town highlights serious limitations within the South African Navy. He describes the drill as a basic passage exercise, not advanced war-fighting. Heitman notes only one frigate is seaworthy, but not combat-ready, with outdated systems. He adds that poor maintenance and the lack of maritime patrol aircraft weaken capacity, while ties with Russia and Iran risk straining relations with key Western trade partners.

# The South African National Christian Forum is calling on the newly appointed National Director of Public Prosecutions, Andy Mothibi, to focus on the prosecution of high-level corruption to recover stolen public funds. The forum’s leader, Marothi Mashashane, says Mothibi must ensure equal access to justice so the poor are not the only ones facing the full might of the law:

# Council for Quality Assurance, Umalusi, says the 2025 National Senior Certificate exam leak was confined to three subjects and seven papers – Physical Sciences, Mathematics and English Home Language. This affected about 40 candidates at seven Pretoria centres. CEO Mafu Rakometsi said this is insignificant and does not undermine the credibility of the results. He warned that certificates will be cancelled and legal action taken if further irregularities are found:

Meanwhile, the South African Institute of Professional Accountants has opened applications for its fully funded scholarship programme for aspiring accountants. The bursaries are available to matriculants and university students who cannot continue their studies because of financial difficulties. The scholarship covers tuition, textbooks, accommodation where needed, and a monthly allowance for students studying towards a BCom Accounting degree at selected public universities. Applications close on Thursday, with successful candidates to be announced later this month.

# Rugby: The Lions and the Cheetahs hope to turn their Challenge Cup season around when they face European competitors this weekend. The South African teams are still winless after the first two rounds of the season. The Lions face French team Lyon at home in Johannesburg tomorrow afternoon, while the Cheetahs play Irish side Ulster in Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Sunday. But that encounter is in doubt because of Storm Goretti which is expected to bring snow to the whole of Europe this weekend.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-54-cents and the euro at 19-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-17-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-500-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-471-dollars-79-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-16-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….