News 07:00

BULLETIN 13 January 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA exposes the Finance ministry’s travel bill
# The government will begin to rescue the trapped zama zamas in Stilfontein today
# And Acsa ensures the availability of jet fuel at OR Tambo

# ActionSA has revealed the Finance Ministry has incurred over eight-million-rand in travel costs between July and November 2024. According to ActionSA, minister Enoch Godongwana’s office spent two-million-rand, deputy minister David Masondo’s office 3.9-million-rand, and deputy minister Ashor Sarupen’s office two-million-rand on international and domestic travel. Destinations included Brazil, London, and Russia. ActionSA has criticised the lack of fiscal prudence, urging stricter travel expense regulations to address wasteful spending.

# The Department of Social Development has extended good wishes to social grant beneficiaries receiving National Senior Certificates today. Of the 882-thousand-336 learners, 697-thousand-502 are social grant recipients, with 94.3-percent on the Child Support Grant. The department highlights its Gender-Based Violence Command Centre’s availability for anxious matriculants and families for this week, offering trauma counselling. The department emphasises the educational significance of Grade 12 results.

# The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy says it will today start with efforts to retrieve the remaining illegal miners from underground at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in Stilfontein in the North West. This follows last week’s ruling by the High Court in Pretoria. The number of zama zamas who have died underground currently stands at 109. The department’s spokesperson, Makhosonke Buthelezi, told Newzroom Afrika that there have been plans since December to bring those underground to the surface:

# The Airports Company of South Africa says it has the reserves to ensure the continuity of jet fuel availability at OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng. This is after the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa notified it that the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa had measures in place after the refinery fire on January 4. Acsa says it has jet fuel reserves to ensure the continuity of availability at the airport for up to eight days and that supplies were in place until January 20th. 

# The United Nations says the de facto authorities in Syria have shown a real willingness to take the country from where it was to something much better. This comes after the sudden downfall of one of the most violent regimes in the Arab world, the Baathist dictatorship of president Bashar al-Assad. UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, says Syrians have a strong desire for people from across the social spectrum to come together and forge a new constitution:

# Cricket: The SA20 match between Pretoria Capitals and Durban’s Super Giants was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain at Centurion on Sunday. After Giants captain Keshav Maharaj won the toss and decided to bowl first, persistent rain delayed the match’s scheduled start. However, conditions did not improve sufficiently for a game to be played. Both teams have received two points each. Today, MI Cape Town faces Paarl Royals at Newlands.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-9-cents and the euro at 19-rand-54-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-27-cents and Bitcoin trades at 94-thousand-200-dollar-20-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-685-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-17-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….