News 15:00

BULLETIN 12 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA exposes ministers’ 450-million-rand travel splurge in the first 18 months
# Minister Mantashe claims the ‘lazy youth’ remarks were a misquote
# And cricket: The SA20’s group stage passes the halfway mark

# ActionSA says the ministers in the government of national unity have racked up nearly 450-million-rand in travel and accommodation expenses in their first 18 months in office. The party says this figure will balloon to 500-million-rand as outstanding parliamentary replies are finalised. Spokesperson Alan Beesley says this spending, compiled through ActionSA’s GNU performance tracker and based on replies to Parliamentary questions, paints a damning picture of executive indulgence:

# ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe says he was misquoted following backlash over comments seen as labelling unemployed youth as lazy. His remarks, urging South Africans to be more proactive in seeking work, drew criticism from opposition parties, unions and within the ANC. Critics say the comments ignored systemic economic barriers. Mantashe insists he was encouraging job seekers to keep trying, as unemployment remains a key issue ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

# The Freedom Front Plus says the sharp increase in cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Gauteng and surrounding provinces has reached a critical point, and decisive action is needed to curb it. The country is experiencing one of the worst outbreaks in decades. It started in KwaZulu-Natal in April last year, and had since then spread country-wide. The FF Plus’ Jaco Mulder says government has failed to effectively contain the disease:

# Cricket: The SA20’s group phase has passed the halfway mark, with all the teams now having completed at least six matches. Two-time champion Sunrisers Eastern Cape currently tops the table on 19 points from three victories in seven matches. They are followed by Joburg Super Kings, Pretoria Capitals, Paarl Royals, and Durban’s Super Giants. Defending champions MI Cape Town languish at the bottom of the log with only ten points. Today’s action sees Pretoria Capitals welcoming MI Cape Town to Centurion.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-39-cents and the euro at 19-rand-16-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-8-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-481-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-588-dollars-17-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-53-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Meta blocked about 550-thousand accounts during the first days of Australia’s landmark social media ban for children. Australians under the age of 16 are not allowed to have social media accounts – including Facebook and Instagram – since last month, when the new law came into force. The ban, which is being watched closely around the world, was justified by campaigners and the government as necessary to protect children from harmful content and algorithms. The BBC reports the UK’s Conservative Party pledged to follow suit if they won the next election.

Stay tuned for more news………….