News 07:00

BULLETIN 22 December 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Cachalia confirms that no threat assessments are conducted for anti-corruption lawyers and auditors
# Golf: Jayden Schaper is the Mauritius Open champion
# And, the Weather Service warns of above-normal rainfall and severe storms

# The acting minister of Police Firoz Cachalia has confirmed that the South African Police Service has not conducted any threat assessments for lawyers, auditors, and liquidators working on corruption cases since 2020. This comes amid growing concerns over safety for professionals involved in state capture prosecutions and other high-risk investigations, following targeted attacks on legal and insolvency practitioners. The lack of formal risk evaluations raises fears about their protection while handling sensitive corruption matters.

# The DA in Gauteng is calling on premier Panyaza Lesufi, together with the police, to urgently establish a specialised task team to investigate mass shootings in the province. Nine people were killed at a tavern in Bekkersdal on the West Rand on Sunday morning. Earlier this month, at least eleven people were killed at a hostel in Saulsville township, west of Pretoria. The DA’s Jade Miller says the province must not become the mass-shooting capital of South Africa:

# Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese was booed on Sunday when he arrived at the commemoration marking one week since the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Sydney. Fifteen people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The Jewish community in Australia believes Albanese’s government could and should have done more to prevent the attack. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also accused Albanese’s government of doing nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia.

# Golf: South Africa’s Jayden Schaper beat American Ryan Gerard in a playoff to win the Mauritius Open. Both players made par on the first playoff hole, but Schaper produced a stunning hole-out eagle on the second playoff hole to claim his second DP World Tour title. South Africa’s Casey Jarvis finished third. Schaper says it has been the best few weeks of his career, following last Sunday’s Alfred Dunhill Championship triumph:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-74-cents and the euro at 19-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-41-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-49-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-363-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-3-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Weather Service has warned that the country should brace for above-normal rainfall and storms in the coming days. A Level 2 warning has been issued for severe thunderstorms over the central interior, with a Yellow Level 4 warning for the western interior, including risks of lightning, strong winds, and hail. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, forecaster Andre Fourie warns of expected difficult driving conditions and storm-related travel disruptions:

Stay tuned for more news………….