News 07:00

BULLETIN 18 Desember 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Fikile Mbalula calls on the ANC Youth League to focus on fearless debate
# Samwu warns a black Christmas looms for municipal workers
# And cricket: The fourth T20 between SA and India is abandoned due to foggy conditions

# ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, says the ANC Youth League must be the leading political voice for all South African youth. He delivered the closing address at the ANCYL 27th National Congress in Limpopo, where Collen Malatji was re-elected as president. Mbalula says the Youth League must be a space for fearless, revolutionary debate, grounding its activism in the theory of the National Democratic Revolution, not in populism or factionalism:

# Municipal union Samwu has condemned the National Treasury’s decision to freeze December equitable share payments to 75 municipalities. The union warns that the move will leave thousands of municipal workers without salaries or bonuses during the festive season and threatens essential services, including water, electricity, and waste management. Samwu general secretary Dumisane Magagula urges the immediate release of funds, warning delays will deepen municipal crises and hurt vulnerable communities:

# The National Council of Provinces has unanimously passed the Immigration Amendment Bill. The legislation amends the Immigration Act of 2002 to address two specific Constitutional Court judgments. One amendment requires that any illegal foreign national detained for deportation purposes must be brought before a court in person within 48 hours of arrest. The bill also provides a clear, legally sound framework for immigration officials to reduce legal ambiguity and the potential for litigation. Parliament says the bill will now be sent to president Cyril Ramaphosa to sign into law.

The DA urges the City of Tshwane to work with private and volunteer fire services instead of appealing a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria, allowing these services to operate. The court found it was wrong for the city to block these services, even as municipal fire departments face severe resource shortages. The DA’s Cilliers Brink says working together will better protect communities and save taxpayers’ money:

# Russian president Vladimir Putin has vowed that his country will achieve its territorial goals in Ukraine either through diplomacy or by military force. He made comments during a speech at the Expanded Meeting of the Defence Ministry Board. Moscow has pushed for strict limits on Ukraine’s military, a ban on Western troops on Ukrainian territory, and an end to Western military support. Putin also questioned recent Western efforts to prepare for war, describing them as hysteria and a lie.

# Cricket: The fourth T20 between South Africa and India had to be abandoned on Wednesday without a ball being bowled due to excessive fog in Lucknow. Umpires conducted six inspections to test visibility before play was called off. The adverse meteorological conditions were exacerbated by the notorious air pollution, with toxicity readings well into the hazardous zone. India leads the five-match series 2-1, with the fifth and final encounter set to be played in Ahmedabad on Friday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-77-cents and the euro at 19-rand-69-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-43-cents and Bitcoin trades at 85-thousand-989-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-325-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-37-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….