News 11:00

BULLETIN 6 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum threatens legal action if expropriation without compensation becomes law
# Eight suspects are killed in a shootout with police in KwaZulu-Natal
# And road-running: There are one-thousand more entries available for the Comrades Marathon

# AfriForum has warned it will take legal action to protect private property rights if president Cyril Ramaphosa signs the Expropriation Bill into law or if the ANC amends the Constitution to allow expropriation without compensation. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl said they will oppose any efforts to dismantle private property rights and will challenge the government in court if expropriation without compensation is pursued:

# The EFF says it has consistently warned of the unchecked proliferation of illegal mining syndicates, which have descended into modern-day slavery. Three bodies have already been recovered, while more than 100 illegal miners are still trapped underground at an abandoned mine in Sabie, Mpumalanga. Meanwhile, six more illegal miners have resurfaced from an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein, North West. The EFF says the infiltration of illegal gold into formal markets raises urgent questions about the legitimacy and oversight of the country’s mining sector.

# Eight suspects were shot and killed in a shootout with police near Richards Bay, on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. It is understood they were allegedly on their way to commit a business robbery when they were accosted by police on the John Ross Highway. Police spokesperson, Robert Netshiunda, says the suspects are also believed to be linked to cash-in-transit heists in the province:

# United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for an urgent end to the fighting in Syria, following the recent escalation in the ongoing civil war. Syrian rebels have taken full control of a second major city, Hama, after the military withdrew its troops this week. More than half a million people have been killed since the civil war erupted in 2011 after president Bashar al-Assad’s government cracked down violently on peaceful pro-democracy protests. Guterres says it’s time for serious dialogue:

# Roadrunning: Entries for next year’s 98th edition of the iconic Comrades Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal have been re-opened for a limited period. The previous entry process was closed when the entry cap of 23-thousand entries was reached. Comrades Marathon Association’s acting race manager, Alain Dalais, says only one-thousand entries are available on a first-come-first-served basis from today until midnight on Monday, or as soon as the entry cap is reached.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-3-cents and the euro at 19-rand-6-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-134-dollars-53-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-639-dollars-53-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-4-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….