News 11:00

BULLETIN 21 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Heavy rainfall is expected across eastern South Africa
# RISE Mzansi welcomes the BELA Act implementation
# And, rugby: Lots of local derbies in United Rugby Championship

# The South African Weather Service warns of heavy rainfall across the eastern parts of the country over the next week. A yellow level two warning for severe thunderstorms has been issued for KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. These storms may bring hail, damaging winds, lightning, and heavy downpours, with risks of flooding and damage to infrastructure, vehicles, and livestock. Forecaster Lehlohonolo Thobela urged residents to stay alert as the rainfall is expected to intensify through the weekend:

# RISE Mzansi has backed the full implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act. RISE Mzansi’s Mabine Seabe emphasised the law’s potential to advance universal access to education. Seabe has also urged Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube to prioritise funding and guidelines for Grade R. He also highlighted its focus on equality and multilingual advancement, benefiting all South Africans:

# The US Congress averted a Christmastime government shutdown after weeks of tense negotiations that went down to the wire, passing a bill to fund federal agencies through mid-March. With the midnight deadline already expired by minutes, senators dropped normal procedure to fast-track the package to a vote, halting government shutdown preparations and saving Christmas for more than 800-thousand workers at risk of being sent home without pay.

# Rugby: The weekend’s United Rugby Championship action kicked off last night with a closely fought Irish derby which Munster won 22-19 against a 14-man Ulster. Ireland front row Tom O’Toole was red-carded in the 31st minute for dangerously storming into a ruck. Today sees more local derbies as Benetton take on Zebre at 3pm, the Stormers take on the Lions at 3:45, the Sharks clash with the Bulls at 6pm and the Ospreys and the Scarlets meet at 7:15. Leinster and Connacht conclude today’s action at 7:30.

# And, the first accredited Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production and Management has been launched in South Africa. This groundbreaking programme, by Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Academy is accredited by the Council on Higher Education and aims to equip students with skills for the growing cannabis industry. CEO Trenton Birch highlighted the opportunity for entrepreneurship, particularly in underserved communities. BusinessTech reports that the 120-credit qualification will be offered in Johannesburg, with expansion plans to Mthatha to support cannabis job creation in rural areas.

Stay tuned for more news………….