News 18:00

BULLETIN 31 January 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Justice Ministry condemns attempts to forcefully enter the Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court 
# The voters roll has passed the 27-million mark for the first time 
# And Olympics: Britons plan to flock to Paris for the 2024 Games

# Justice and Correctional Services minister Ronald Lamola has vowed to take decisive action following attempts to forcibly enter Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo. He strongly condemns the display of the old South African flag, reaffirming courts cannot be playgrounds for lawlessness. The bail hearing of farmer Piet Groenewald and his stepson, Stefan Greeff, has been postponed to Wednesday. Speaking outside court, Lamola reminded residents the gratuitous display of the old is a criminal offence:

# The Independent Electoral Commission has announced its readiness for this weekend’s voter registration weekend. Twenty-three-thousand-303 registration stations will be open from 8 AM to 5 PM for citizens to register or verify their details. The voters’ roll has surpassed 27-million, marking a historic milestone. Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo says the online registration platform played a key role, recording nearly 200-thousand new registrations. According to Mamabolo, lease agreements for permanent voting stations have been signed and concluded:

# Transnet Port Terminals has confirmed the Cape Town Container Terminal achieved a remarkable milestone by reaching a high productivity rate of 17 moves per hour during a single shift in the past week. The acting Western Cape managing executive of Transnet Port Terminals, Oscar Borchards, expressed the intention to ensure sustained improvement over an extended period. Additionally, Borchards says operators of lifting equipment are undergoing training on new gantry cranes to enhance the fleet’s availability and offer relief during peak demand.

# Olympics: British spectators have already bought more than half-a-million tickets for this year’s Games in the Paris – second only to the host nation, France. The event is taking place from the 26th of July to the 11th of August. CEO of Paris 2024, Etiene Thobois, says they don’t know whether it’s the expectation of a great performance from Team Great Britain, but they are very excited to welcome their neighbours from across the English Channel. Great Britain ended fourth on the medals table at the previous Games in Japan.

# And finally: The South African Social Security Agency and the Department of Social Development in the Eastern Cape have announced the launch of the Social Relief of Distress School Uniform programme. It aims to provide school uniforms to children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who fall below the poverty line. The departments have allocated up to five-thousand-rand per learner for the purchase of uniforms. Additionally, Social Development plans to spend 35-million-rand in the current financial year on sanitary dignity packs.

Stay tuned for more news………….