News 11:00

BULLETIN 5 January 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Oscar Pistorius is out on parole and at home
# Budget cuts are impacting the Western Cape Education Department’s plans to build new schools
# And, cricket: All eyes on Newlands as two-day Test awaits ICC pitch assessment decision

# Oscar Pistorius was released on parole this morning and is at home. However, Reeva Steenkamp’s mother June says no amount of jail time Oscar Pistorius served could ever bring back her murdered daughter. She reiterated in a statement her acceptance of the convicted killer’s release after eight years behind bars. Oscar Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a closed toilet door on Valentine’s Day in 2013. Pistorius was eventually sentenced to 13 years and five months behind bars for murdering Reeva. Steenkamp says the parole board’s conditions send out a clear message that gender-based violence is taken seriously.

# The Clinical Kidney Journal has highlighted the escalating prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Africa. This surge is particularly pronounced in South Africa, driven by conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and HIV. To address the rising cases of kidney failure, dialysis centres are being established in townships and villages across the country. Speaking to SABC News, the South African Nephrology Society’s Shoyab Wadee noted the crucial need for enhanced infrastructure and standards in these facilities:

# The Western Cape Department of Education says the budget cuts by National Treasury will impact its plans to build 21 new schools, replacement schools, and add 289 additional classrooms at existing schools. During the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in November last year, the minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, announced that spending has been revised down by 21-billion-rand for the current financial year. The department’s spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond says the department is being short-changed by the national government to the tune of 537-million-rand:

# A student shot six people, one of them fatally, at a high school in the US state of Iowa before taking his own life on the first day back from the holiday break. The police says the student that died was in the sixth grade, which is for 11- or 12-year-olds. On arriving at the scene police officers quickly found what they determined to be the suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was armed with a pump-action shotgun and a small calibre-handgun and was later identified as Dylan Butler, a 17-year-old student. According to the police the suspect had made a number of social media posts in and around the time of the shooting.

# Cricket: Cricket South Africa awaits the International Cricket Council’s report on the surface of the Newlands pitch, which saw a Test being wrapped up in 107 overs. The second Test between South Africa and India was the fastest-completed match in the history of the game with  a total of 642 balls, beating the 656 from the South Africa and Australia Test in Melbourne in 1931/32. Newlands was also the scene of an ODI debacle in 1993 during the International Series when a pitch with excessive bounce and seam movement saw Pakistan bowled out by the West Indies for 45 in just more than 19 overs and the Windies winning with seven wickets.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-74-cents and the euro at 20-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 43-thousand-854-dollars-77-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-41-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 78-dollars a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….