News 06:00

BULLETIN 10 December 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA urges the Transport minister to investigate the OR Tambo fuel crisis
# Minister Groenewald says 36-billion-rand is needed to combat prison overcrowding
# And the Road Freight Association says the Mozambican crisis must be resolved

# The DA has called on Transport minister Barbara Creecy to launch a full investigation into the collapse of aviation fuel supplies at OR Tambo International Airport. DA Transport spokesperson Chris Hunsinger described the failure as a catastrophic blow to South Africa’s tourism and investor confidence. Hunsinger demands accountability. Meanwhile, Airport Company South Africa’s Jabulani Khambule told the SABC the backlog is being resolved:

# Correctional Services minister Pieter Groenewald has highlighted the urgent need for 36-billion-rand to construct new prisons and combat the 46-percent prison overcrowding rate. Groenewald says overcrowding is exacerbated by unaffordable bail. The minister revealed that the country’s bed space capacity grew by two-thousand-788, between September 2023 and July 2024. However, the country needs 50-thousand more beds to ease the strain. He says the Department of Correctional Services has 69 infrastructure projects underway, including new facilities in Burgersdorp and Parys, expected by 2026.

# The South African Human Rights Commission calls for the inclusion of Chapter 9 institutions in future consultations regarding the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act. The commission expressed dissatisfaction with being excluded from discussions on clauses four and five, which deal with language and school admission policies. The implementation of these clauses has been put on hold. The BELA Act, signed into law in September, aims to improve education governance but has raised concerns, particularly over its impact on Afrikaans-language schools.

Meanwhile, ANC premier Panyaza Lesufi has urged president Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the last two remaining clauses in the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, despite opposition from the DA. He addressed the Gauteng ANC Youth League conference in Boksburg yesterday. Lesufi reiterated his commitment to ensuring that all children have access to quality education, regardless of their language proficiency or the colour of their skin:

# The Road Freight Association says South Africa must prioritise diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in Mozambique. Political unrest has disrupted key trade routes, notably the Port of Maputo, jeopardising industries dependent on these supply chains. The association’s CEO, Gavin Kelly, urges president Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and ensure stability to prevent economic collapse in South Africa and the SADC region:

# Rugby: Springboks Manie Libbok and Ben-Jason Dixon will miss the Stormers’ next match while recovering from concussion sustained in the past weekend’s Champions Cup loss to Toulon in Gqeberha. Keke Morabe will be out long-term after sustaining a leg fracture and underwent surgery yesterday. The union says Boks Salmaan Moerat, Frans Malherbe, Deon Fourie, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, as well as Sti Sithole, will hopefully all return before the end of the month, but fellow Boks Steven Kitshoff, Evan Roos and Damian Willemse will be absent for longer.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-78-cents and the euro at 18-rand-77-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-67-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-462-dollar-75-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-660-dollars-2-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-93-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….