News 12:00

BULLETIN 4 November 12 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA in Gauteng demands the reinstatement of the principal of the Pretoria High School for Girls
# Over 200 Gauteng schools are identified as high-risk
# And motorsport: Francesco Bagnaia wins in Malaysia to take the MotoGP title race to the final day

# # The DA in Gauteng is demanding the immediate reinstatement of the principal of Pretoria High School for Girls, Phillipa Erasmus. In July, 12 matric learners of the school were suspended for allegedly making racist remarks in a WhatsApp group. This prompted the provincial Department of Education to suspend Erasmus. The DA’s Sergio Isa dos Santos says MEC Matome Chiloane has dismally failed in his obligations to ensure procedural requirements are met and safeguard educators’ rights:

Meanwhile, at least 245 schools in Gauteng have been identified as high-risk due to their locations, inadequate safety and security measures and student behaviour. This emerged during a school safety imbizo in Soweto. Chiloane highlighted that issues such as gangsterism, drug trade, and weapons accessibility in nearby areas are impacting the schools. Chiloane urged parents to take a more active role in their children’s education to address these challenges:

# The Western Cape government has warned that essential frontline services, especially in health and education, are at risk due to budget cuts following last week’s mini budget. Finance MEC Deidré Baartman has highlighted concerns about the lack of additional funding amid rising demands, in-migration, and operational costs. She says the province will reduce teacher posts and explore alternative revenue sources, including online gambling legislation, to address budget shortfalls.

# Motorsport: Defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia kept alive his hopes of retaining his MotoGP title by winning the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Italian finished three seconds ahead of championship rival Jorge Martin, with Enea Bastianini in third. South Africa’s Brad Binder could not finish the race after being involved in a crash. The championship will be decided in the final race of the season next weekend, with Martin holding a 24-point advantage. Bagnaia says he is enjoying the title race:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-52-cents and the euro at 19-rand-10-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-75-cents and Bitcoin trades at 68-thousand-587-dollars-10-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-736-dollars-8-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-56-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Collins Dictionary has named, brat, as its word of the year for 2024, defining it as someone characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude. The UK-based dictionary publisher credited British singer Charli XCX with making brat one of the most talked-about words this year. Other words that made the shortlist included delulu, meaning to be utterly mistaken or unrealistic in one’s ideas or expectations, and anti-tourism. Last year, the dictionary named A-I as its word of the year.

Stay tuned for more news………….