News 11:00

BULLETIN 24 December 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says 2025 marked a turning point in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide
# The IFP president calls on all organs of state to intensify their support against GBVF 
# And, the ACDP says the Gauteng Liquor Board failed the Bekkersdal community

# Deputy president Paul Mashatile says 2025 marked a turning point in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide. Last month, president Cyril Ramaphosa classified GBVF a national disaster, as more than 35-percent of South African women aged 18 and older have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Mashatile says this recognition emphasises that this crisis violates fundamental constitutional rights to dignity, life, and security:

# IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa has emphasised the urgent and ongoing responsibility to address gender-based violence and femicide. He says 16 days alone are not sufficient to combat the scourge of GBVF. Hlabisa says with GBVF now classified as a national disaster, all organs of state must intensify their support for existing response structures and interventions:

# The ACDP is calling on the Gauteng Liquor Board to enforce liquor trading laws in the Rand West Municipality. The owner of a Bekkersdal tavern, the site of a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 10 people, is now facing criminal charges following an investigation into the establishment’s legality. The ACDP’s Xoliwe Batalisi says that had the Liquor Board worked harder to close down illegal taverns, Sunday’s brutal attack would not have happened:

# Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, says Christmas will feel different this year for citizens following the terror inflicted on Jewish Australians celebrating Chanukah at Bondi Beach. The anti-Semitic massacre last Sunday claimed the lives of 15 people. In his Christmas message, Albanese has called for the nation to come together and embrace a message of hope and resilience:

# Rugby: The Welsh Rugby Union says it still needs more time to agree on a consensus on reducing the professional game from four to three regional teams. In October, the WRU had announced that three licences would be granted, one to a team in Cardiff, one in the west and one in the east. The governing body had hoped a consensus would be reached by the end of this year; however, negotiations have continued with Ospreys, Scarlets, Cardiff and Dragons. WRU says a sustainable and competitive professional game is needed.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-65-cents and the euro at 19-rand-64-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-51-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-951-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-492-dollars-59-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 61-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….