News 08:00

BULLETIN 1 December 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The French Embassy denies that police officers were denied entry to probe Nathi Mthethwa’s death
# Minister Creecy says their festive season campaign will target high-risk behaviour
# And the US Secretary of State says progress has been made in peace talks with Ukraine

# The French Embassy in South Africa has denied media reports that a team of five top South African police detectives, who were due to assist in investigating the death of Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa, were prevented from going to Paris. The 58-year-old died in September. According to the Sunday Times, the five senior detectives were denied entry into France. The French Embassy says only one police officer submitted a request for a visa that was quickly granted, adding that the officer was able to travel to Paris and was welcomed by authorities.

# Transport minister Barbara Creecy says preventing road accidents is a shared responsibility between drivers, pedestrians, and passengers. She officially launched the 2025/2026 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign over the weekend, under the theme “It Starts With Me.” This comes as South Africa has recorded its first decline in road accident deaths in five years, with 700 fewer fatalities this year than last. Creecy says the festive season road safety campaign includes enhanced enforcement:

# The Special Investigating Unit says the arrest of a Tembisa Hospital employee reaffirms its commitment to fighting corruption and ensuring accountability in public institutions. Zacharia Tshisele was arrested last week for his alleged role in irregular contract payouts. He has repaid 13-million-rand, which is just a portion of the kickbacks he allegedly received from service providers. The SIU says it has identified at least 15 current and former officials involved in activities such as corruption, money laundering, and bid rigging in connection with improperly appointed service providers.

# US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says additional progress has been made in talks with Ukraine, but cautioned that more work remains to be done. American and Ukrainian officials met for around four hours in Florida on Sunday to thrash out details of Washington’s proposed 28-point peace plan to end Russia’s war in Kyiv. Rubio says they are not only working on terms that end the war, but also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity:

# Motorsport: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the Qatar Grand Prix to ensure the drivers’ championship is decided on the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi this weekend. McLaren’s alternative strategy proved costly as Oscar Piastri finished second and championship leader Lando Norris in fourth. Carlos Sainz finished third for Williams. Verstappen, who is in the hunt for a fifth successive title, is now 12 points behind Norris with Piastri 16 points adrift. Verstappen says their strategy was perfect:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-12-cents and the euro at 19-rand-85-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-471-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-235-dollars-32-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….