News 13:00:

BULLETIN 14 December 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SITA welcomes investigations into the agency amid governance concerns
# Police recover six-million-rands crystal meth during a bust at OR Tambo International Airport
# And, soccer: Sundowns’ Ronwen Williams on the final shortlist for the CAF awards

# The State Information Technology Agency board has welcomed minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi’s call for a Public Service Commission investigation. SITA, which manages IT procurement for the state, faces challenges including governance issues, irregular procurement, and inefficiencies. Sita board of directors deputy chairperson Stella Bvuma says the probe will address these concerns to improve the agency’s operations:

# Police have seized crystal meth worth six-million-rand, hidden in a wooden snooker table at OR Tambo International Airport. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says the drugs, destined for Australia, were discovered during a crime intelligence operation. She confirmed that no arrests have been made, and investigations continue:

# The City of Ekurhuleni has announced that waste removal services will proceed as usual during the festive season. The metro warns, however, that the service will not be operational on Christmas Day. Spokesperson Zweli Dlamini advised that areas scheduled for that day will be serviced the following week as per the waste removal calendar. Residents are reminded to put out bins as usual and discouraged against giving municipal workers Christmas gifts, citing service delivery disruptions and potential abuse reports.

# Two Namibian opposition parties seeking to challenge the result of elections last month, won a court order yesterday allowing them to inspect election materials they had requested to see. Namibia’s ruling party, SWAPO, won both the presidential and parliamentary elections on 27 November, extending its 34-year rule. Opposition parties alleged the election was flawed and potentially invalid due to an extension of voting for several days, among other issues. The largest opposition party in the country,  the Independent Patriots for Change says “there were clearly irregularities in the election.”

# And, soccer: Mamelodi Sundowns’ Ronwen Williams made the final shortlist for CAF’s three main awards – Player of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year. He made the cut for the awards that will be held on Monday in Morocco, during a week where Sundowns were rocked by the firing of coach Manqoba Mngqithi. Williams says he hopes the recognition he is receiving, first from the Ballon d’Or awards and now at African level, will serve as inspiration to South Africans.

Stay tuned for more news………….