News 06:00

BULLETIN 8 December 6 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says there will be no succession talks at the ANC National General Council
# AfriForum calls for the urgent placement of more than 40-thousand learners in Gauteng
# And rugby: The Blitzboks beat Argentina to claim back-to-back Cape Town titles

# ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has reiterated that leadership issues will not be discussed during the party’s four-day National General Council in Boksburg this week. There have been allegations of a plot within the party to unseat president Cyril Ramaphosa. Briefing the media on Sunday, Mbalula stated that these allegations will not deter the ANC, which is firmly focused on having a successful National General Council:

# Border Management Authority commissioner, Michael Masiapato, warns travellers to desist from committing any act of criminality around South Africa’s border posts as they will be detected and arrested. He says enhanced enforcement operations will start on Wednesday and end on the 15th of January 2026. He added that measures to detect and seize narcotics, illicit goods, and stolen vehicles will be reinforced :

# The National Director of Public Prosecutions Advisory Panel has announced the interview dates of candidates to fill the position of the National Director of Public Prosecutions. The department’s spokesperson, Terrence Manase, says six candidates were shortlisted for interviews in Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria, this week ahead of the end of Shamila Batohi’s term in January. He says that on Wednesday, advocates Nicolette Bell,  Adrian Mopp, and Andrea Johnson will be interviewed, while advocates Xolisile Khanyile, Hermione Cronje, and Menzi Simelane will be interviewed on Thursday.

# AfriForum says the Gauteng Education Department’s inability to complete the placement of Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners for the 2026 academic year is heading for a disaster that is causing serious uncertainty among parents and learners. AfriForum’s Carien Bloem says more than 40-thousand-500 learners are still in the dark about where they will start their primary or secondary school career next year. She says the organisation is calling for urgent placement of learners:

# The central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk came under attack by dozens of Russian drones and missiles overnight, causing power and water outages. The city, located on the Dnipro River 259 kilometres from the capital, Kyiv, is a major industrial hub and the site of one of Ukraine’s biggest oil refineries. The overnight attack came as the US continues to lead efforts to find a resolution to the conflict, with the Ukrainian, German, British, and French leaders to meet today in London to confer on the progress of negotiations.

# Rugby: The Springbok Sevens narrowly beat Argentina 21-19 to become the first team to successfully defend the Cape Town World Sevens series title. South Africa scored a last-minute try to seal the victory and finished the weekend as the only unbeaten men’s team at the Cape Town stadium. Fiji defeated France 26-19 to finish third. In the women’s final, Australia secured a 26-12 victory against New Zealand. Springbok Sevens captain Impi Visser says he is proud of their performance in the final:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-92-cents and the euro at 19-rand-70-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-55-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-970-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-204-dollars-21-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-51-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….