News 07:00

BULLETIN 3 December 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula says the SACP’s intention to contest the 2026 local government elections will have implications
# The Republican House speaker criticises president Biden’s decision to pardon his son
# And rugby: John Dobson still believes the Stormers can turn their nightmare season around

# ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the South African Communist Party’s intention to contest the 2026 local government elections independently, has serious implications for the alliance. The SACP is set to discuss the modalities of this decision at its upcoming 5th Special National Conference. Mbalula says the ANC leadership has raised its concerns with the SACP:

# The ANC has vowed to take tough decisions to reclaim and rebuild the party’s influence in KwaZulu-Natal. Following a meeting with the provincial leadership, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula clarified the meeting was not about disbanding or intervening but finalising plans to address the province’s challenges. Mbalula told the media the ANC recognises the issues in the province, and the national executive committee will determine the next steps based on a thorough analysis: 

# The African Critical Minerals Summit is taking place at the Sandton Convention Centre. The summit will explore Africa’s critical minerals’ role in green energy transitions. Summit spokesperson Malebogo Mohape says the agenda includes addressing sustainability, global demand, and innovative approaches, including secondary sourcing from mining byproducts. She says organisers emphasise Africa’s unique position to drive equitable growth and global supply chain stability:

# Eskom has confirmed that the City of Tshwane has signed a payment arrangement plan to settle its 6.67-billion-rand debt. The power utility had taken the metro to court for bulk electricity supply arrear debt, however, the two parties met and agreed on a five-year payment arrangement plan. Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, says Tshwane has committed to making the initial payment of 400-million-rand this month, with the last payment scheduled for March 2029:

# Republican House speaker Mike Johnson has criticised president Joe Biden for reneging on his pledge not to pardon his son Hunter. He faced sentencing this month for federal tax and gun convictions. On Sunday, Biden said he issued the pardon because his son was selectively, and unfairly prosecuted. Johnson says trust in the justice system has been almost irreparably damaged by the Bidens and their use and abuse of it. He adds real reform of the justice system is needed.

# Rugby: Stormers director of rugby John Dobson says there is no pressure on his team before the start of the Champions Cup. They will play Toulon in Gqeberha on Saturday, followed by an away clash against Harlequins next weekend. The Stormers are currently 13th on the United Rugby Championship log after four losses in six outings, but Dobson believes they can turn things around. He points out they were without five Springboks against the Sharks, but still put on a great fight in their 15-21 loss.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-18-cents and the euro at 19-rand-7-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-536-dollar-72-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-636-dollars a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….