NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 2 January 12 pm

Good afternoon,

In this bulletin:

# Patricia de Lille says the fire in the parliamentary precinct has been contained
# Six people die in two separate collisions on the N-1
# And, tennis star Emma Raducanu doesn’t feel up to playing yet

# Public Works and Infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille says the fire that broke out this morning in the parliamentary precinct has been contained. De Lille adds an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire:

Play sound: ENG Patricia

# The Department of Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo has expressed concern at some motorists’ behaviour on the road. Last night two people were killed in a head-on collision involving a Mercedes Benz and a Toyota on the N-1 near Modimolle. In a separate tragedy, four people died on the N-1 North when a driver of a Renault allegedly recklessly overtook and collided head-on with a Nissan minibus. The department’s spokesperson Mike Maringa says law enforcers will not tolerate lawlessness and reckless behaviour:

Play sound: ENG SixKilled

# Residents of Jim Jones village at Malamulele in Limpopo entered the new year on a somber note as the Ndou family buried seven of their kin. The victims were shot and killed on Christmas Day, allegedly by another family member in what is understood to have been a dispute over a family house. The suspect will re-appear at the Malamulele Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. In an interview with SABC News, a family spokesperson thanked the community for its support:

Play sound: ENG NdouFamily

# In a race to contain a bird flu virus, France has discarded over 600-thousand poultry. The Agriculture Ministry reported outbreaks at 26 factory farms in the southwest, 15 cases in wild fowl and three at barnyards.  Belgium and Britain also announced outbreaks last week, where 100-thousand animals died from the virus.

# And, tennis: US Open champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of an Australian Open warm-up tournament as she continues to recover from the coronavirus. The 19-year-old Briton was due to line up alongside defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka and former world number one Simona Halep at the Melbourne Summer Set WTA event from Tuesday. Raducanu tested positive for Covid-19 before an Abu Dhabi exhibition last month and spent time in isolation.

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