News 09:00

BULLETIN 4 January 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Nehawu calls for harsher punishment for officials suspended for the Parliament fire
# The EFF says the ANC’s crime prevention wardens could not stop shootings in Soshanguve
# And, Prince Andrew, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton are named in Jeffrey Epstein’s court files

# Nehawu  in the Western Cape is calling for harsher punishment for nine officials who are suspended for the 2022 Parliament fire. Parliament has secured over 2-billion-rand for the reconstruction of the damaged buildings. A homeless man, Zandile Mafe, was charged with arson and later found unfit to stand trial. Nehawu’s Sthembiso Tembe told ENCA that the union is prepared to provide evidence before Parliament. to ensure the workers are dismissed:

# The EFF in Tshwane says the ANC’s crime prevention wardens, deployed by the Gauteng provincial government, have proved ineffective in preventing shooting incidents in Soshanguve. The party says crime has skyrocketed under the ANC-led government, and the party has been unsuccessful in safeguarding communities from the rampant spread of illegal firearms and senseless killings. The EFF’s Obakeng Ramabodu is calling on SAPS and Tshwane Metro Police to conduct intensive stop-and-search programmes, looking for illegal firearms, to improve the safety of residents in the municipality.

# Credit demand in South Africa has contracted further in November due to a notable slowdown in home loans and other loans and advances. Home loan growth dropped to 3.8-percent year-on-year, down from 4.3-percent in October. On the corporate side, the slowdown came from continued deceleration in commercial mortgages and general loans. Nedbank economists expect credit growth to continue weakening into the first half of 2024, influenced by high interest rates, cautious borrowing, and concerns about rising debt defaults.

# Prince Andrew and former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump are named in court documents detailing people connected to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A New York federal judge has ordered the release of the files as part of a lawsuit related to Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Some of those named are accused of wrongdoing, while others on the list are making allegations or are potential witnesses. Epstein died in jail in 2019. His death, as he awaited federal sex-trafficking charges, was ruled to be a suicide by the New York medical examiner.

# Rugby: The Lions will be back in action in the United Rugby Championship this weekend with a local derby in Durban against the Sharks. The Johannesburg side is sitting in 12th spot on 19 points but with two games in hand, after they postponed both of their festive season derby games. Heat and humidity is expected on Saturday. The Lions last won in Durban in 2017, but assistant coach Ricardo Laubscher is confident they can get the points on offer if they implement their game plan effectively:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-71-cents and the euro at 20-rand-45-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-72-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-185-dollars-28-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-43-dollars-34-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars-58-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….