News 09:00

BULLETIN 5 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SANTACO is ready to transport South Africans safely back home
# Disaster management teams are on alert as disruptive rains are expected in Gauteng
# And Tennis: Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov retires from the Brisbane semifinal with an injury

# The South African National Taxi Council says with the holiday season drawing to a close, it remains committed to safely transport South Africans back home. Spokesperson Mmatshikhidi Phala says the taxi council is deeply concerned about the recent taxi-related accidents during the festive season. She urged drivers to exercise extreme caution on the roads and to ensure the safety of the passengers as top priority:

# The City of Ekurhuleni says its disaster management teams remain on high alert following the heavy downpours predicted by the South African Weather Service for Gauteng this weekend and next week. Emergency Services spokesperson, William Ntladi, says high traffic volumes are also expected on the roads as holidaymakers return back to the province:

# The City of Cape Town says it has seen a slight downturn in fatal drownings over the peak festive season, compared to last year. However, the number of child drownings is a concern. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Patricia Van der Ross says of the nine fatal drownings since the start of the season in September 2024, four occurred in December, compared to five the previous December:

# Tennis: Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov retired from the semifinals of the Brisbane International on Saturday with an apparent groin injury, barely a week before the Australian Open. The unseeded Czech player Jiri Lehecka was leading 6-4, 4-4 when the Bulgarian left the court with the physiotherapist for a medical timeout. He returned but played one point before retiring. Dimitrov is ranked number 10 in the world. Lehecka will play the American Reilly Opelka later today in the final. It will be the 23-year-old Lehecka’s fourth final on the ATP Tour.

# And finally: A Japanese woman, recognised as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records, has died aged 116. Tomiko Itooka was born in May 1908, six years before World War One and the same year the Ford Model T car was launched in the US. Last year she was presented with the official Guinness World Records certificate on the Respect for the Aged Day, which is a Japanese public holiday celebrated annually to honour the country’s elderly citizens. Of the country’s 124-million people, nearly a third are 65 or older.

Stay tuned for more news………….