News 06:00

BULLETIN 12 January 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gwarube commends the matric class of 2025
# Eskom returns more generation capacity to strengthen grid stability
# And, Iran warns it will retaliate against any US attacks

# As the country anticipates the 2025 matric results today, Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube has commended the grade 12 learners for their effort, discipline, and resilience shown throughout the important journey. Gwarube says completing the National Senior Certificate examinations is a significant milestone. She adds that learners should be proud of how far they have come:

Meanwhile, the Public Servants Association is urgently advising the 2025 matriculants, prospective students, and their parents to remain hyper-vigilant as they navigate the tertiary education application and registration process. The association’s spokesperson, Claude Naicker, is concerned about the historical rise of unregistered bogus colleges that specifically target young people in rural and urban centres, offering unrecognised qualifications in exchange for hard-earned family savings:

# Eskom says three-thousand-and-40-megawatts of generation capacity will be returned to service ahead of the evening peak today, supporting a stable electricity supply throughout the week. The power utility’s acting spokesperson, Aubrey Sambo, says year to date, planned maintenance was at an average of five-thousand-333-megawatts, accounting for 11.34-percent of the total generation capacity, compared to 11.39-percent over the same period last year:

# Iran has warned it will retaliate if attacked by the US or the occupied territories. This comes after US president Donald Trump reiterated his threat to attack Iran if authorities used force to quell a growing wave of nationwide protests sparked by frustration against the government. At least 420 protesters have been killed and more than three-thousand-200 people arrested in anti-government demonstrations. Iran warns that it will treat US military and commercial bases as targets for retaliation if Washington intervenes militarily.

# Rugby: Harlequins ended the Stormers’ 100-percent record in the Champions Cup this season after scoring nine tries in a 61-10 victory at Twickenham Stoop in London. Nick David scored a hat-trick to help Harlequins book their spot in the last 16 and will secure a home knockout tie with a bonus-point win over La Rochelle next Sunday. The Stormers, who managed two tries through Imad Khan and Dylan Maart, will hope a victory at home to Leicester Tigers on Saturday will be enough for a home last-16 place.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-47-cents and the euro at 19-rand-15-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-7-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-673-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-534-dollars-42-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-63-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Boitumelo Media has announced the launch of the 2nd Annual Community Radio Awards, set to commence on February 13, coinciding with UNESCO’s World Radio Day. Boitumelo Media founder and chairman, Motseki Mabuya, says this year’s theme, Shining A Spotlight On Talent, continues the mission to celebrate the unsung heroes of grassroots broadcasting. He says the awards are dedicated to honouring the creativity, dedication, and unique local narratives that community broadcasters bring to the airwaves every day.

Stay tuned for more news………….