News 13:00

BULLETIN 13 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Basic Education Department is probing an alleged leak in the matric results
# Christian Forum welcomes High Court order directing government to rescue the miners at Stillfontein mine
# And Tennis: Frances Tiafoe becomes ill on the court but wins in five sets

# The Department of Basic Education has confirmed a possible breach of matric results. Johannesburg company, Edumarks, is under scrutiny for allegedly selling 2024 matric results to learners for 100-rand. This is even before the official results have been announced by the department. Minister Siviwe Gwarube says State Security and the Hawks are investigating, vowing that arrest will be made:

# The South African National Christian Forum has welcomed the High Court in Pretoria’s order directing government to rescue the lives of the illegal miners in Stillfontein, North West. The Forum’s president Marothi Mashashane says they are disappointed that president Cyril Ramaphosa has again kept quiet about a direct violation of the constitution by minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni who publicly announced that government’s intention was to smoke the illegal miners out:

# Former head of South Africa’s National Intelligence Service and important role player in negotiations for a peaceful transition, doctor Niël Barnard, has died aged 75 after a long battle with cancer. Barnard was notable for his behind-the-scenes role in preparing former president Nelson Mandela and former South African presidents P.W. Botha and F. W. de Klerk for Mandela’s eventual release. Barnard and a colleague were the first representatives of the apartheid state to meet with the ANC in secret in Switzerland. He is survived by his wide, Engela, two sons and five grandchildren.

# Iran is set to hold nuclear talks with France, Britain and Germany today and tomorrow, just a week before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office. It is the second round of talks over Iran’s nuclear programme in less than two months, following a discreet meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, in November between Tehran and the three European countries. Role players says these are not negotiations, but mere consultations on a wide range of topics. Iran said their primary objective is to remove sanctions against the country.

# Tennis: Frances Tiafoe admitted it was touch and go whether he would carry on after vomiting on court during a testing five-set win at the Australian Open. The American was sick at a crunch moment at 5-6 in the fourth set against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. He managed to continue and came through 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 and 6-3 in 4-hours-8-minutes. Tiafoe was playing in the middle of the day in hot weather, but he blamed being over-hydrated rather than the heat.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 19-rand-18-cents and the euro at 19-rand-59-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-882-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-685-dollars-84-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-43-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….