News 12:00

BULLETIN 27 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The flood fatalities in Limpopo rise to 25
# Knysna’s water buffer increases to 17 days
# And rugby: Rassie Erasmus says meticulous planning is required ahead of a busy international season

# Limpopo’s MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, Basikopo Makamu, is deeply saddened by the increasing number of fatalities linked to the inclement weather the province has been experienced since last month. His spokesperson, Amos Phago, says the total number of people who lost their lives due to flooding stands at 25, while the number of missing persons remains at three – one from Mbaula Village and two from Thulamela:

# Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, says he is encouraged by the progress being made in addressing Knysna’s water crisis. The Akkerkloof Dam’s level has increased from 15-percent to 20.9-percent. Current daily water usage translates into a water buffer of 17 days. Bredell says this is an improvement from the ten-day buffer reported just two weeks ago. He adds more effective water management will be required as current weather forecasts for the province point to a dry winter ahead.

# The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has warned learner transport operators against shutdowns and intimidation, as non-compliance will not be tolerated. Over 500 operators met in Johannesburg yesterday to address licence challenges. The department issued more than one-thousand licence application forms, calling on operators to submit the required documents. Parents and guardians are urged to report unsafe vehicles to the provincial traffic inspectorate. MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela has stressed that learner safety is non-negotiable.

Moving abroad:

# NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says Europe cannot defend itself without the support of the United States. This follows calls by some leading European politicians for a separate European army, prompted by doubts over US president Donald Trump’s commitment to the continent’s security that were heightened by tensions over Greenland. Rutte has warned European nations they would need to increase defence spending to ten-percent if they really want to do it alone:

# Rugby: Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says meticulous planning and out-of-the-box thinking will be required as they face a tough 18-months leading up to next year’s World Cup. South Africa gets the season underway in the inaugural Nations Championship in July. In addition, the Boks face the All Blacks in a historic four-match Test series starting in August. Erasmus says it will be important to manage players spread across different competitions:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-4-cents and the euro at 19-rand-2-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-93-cents and Bitcoin trades at 88-thousand-136-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-and-79-dollars-66-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-33-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….