News 13:00

BULLETIN 9 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA in KZN increases the reward to R1-million for information on councillor Ndlovu’s killers
# Minister Cele is concerned about the spate of alleged kidnappings of women in Free State
# And in rugby: A big victory for Blitzboks in their first Cape Town match

# The DA in KwaZulu-Natal says it is now offering a one-million-rand reward for information that leads to the conviction of the murderers of its chief whip in the uMngeni Local Municipality, councillor Nhlalayenza Ndlovu, on Tuesday. The DA’s Dean Macpherson says the party will spare no expense and leave no stone unturned to hold those responsible for this vicious crime as it seeks justice for the Ndlovu family and an end to politically motivated killings in the province:

# Minister of Police Bheki Cele is concerned about the spate of alleged kidnappings of young girls and women in the Free State, during the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children campaign. Two young women, 22-year-old Lesego Motaung and 23-year-old Lerato Masiu, remain missing. Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, says most recently, the kidnapping of 16-year-old Machaka Radebe ended tragically when a passerby discovered her body, two days after she was reported missing:

# Everest Wealth CEO Thys van Zyl says South Africans have been severely punished financially this year by the government’s various missteps and political and economic uncertainty continues amid many crises. He adds government has many plans and ideas but most do not work and have destructive consequences. Van Zyl highlights the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill and says it appears government is scrambling to give shape to various ideas and legislation in the run-up to next year’s election.

# An experimental HIV vaccine trial in South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania has been halted prematurely after preliminary data indicated its ineffectiveness in preventing infection. The initiative, launched in December 2020, enrolled one-thousand-512 healthy adults aged 18 to 40 with the original end date set for next year. A statement released by the vaccine trial programme said the failed trial, the only remaining active HIV vaccine efficacy trial in the world, underscored how challenging it is to develop an effective HIV vaccine.

# And, rugby: South Africa’s women’s and men’s teams are playing a total of six matches at the Cape Town Sevens today. The women lost their first group match against France 29-7. Coach Renfred Dazel says the second half was probably the worst they’ve had in the last two weeks. The women take on Canada and America this afternoon. In the men’s first match, the Blitzboks exploded in the second half against Great Britain and eventually won 19-5. Their next opponents are the USA this afternoon and Ireland this evening.

Stay tuned for more news………….