News 13:00

BULLETIN 30 November 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Hawks arrest a fifth suspect in alleged Russia-Ukraine recruitment case
# Patricia de Lille calls for unity to shape South Africa’s future
# And, snails worth more than R1.7-million were stolen from French snail farmer with Michelin clientele

# The Hawks have arrested a fifth suspect accused of allegedly recruiting South Africans to join the Russia-Ukraine war. This follows the earlier arrest of three men and one woman at OR Tambo International Airport en route to Russia. The 17 men were reportedly misled into believing they were signing up for bodyguard training but were instead deployed to fight abroad. All suspects will appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.

# GOOD Party leader Patricia de Lille says the Unite for Change movement is a chance to design South Africa’s future. Speaking in Soweto during the Unite for Change campaign, made of BOSA, GOOD Party and RISE Mzansi, De Lille criticised current leaders for exploiting power, stealing, and ignoring the principle that the people should govern. She said Build One South Africa, RISE Mzansi, and the GOOD Party have united to restore accountable leadership:

# Eskom has confirmed power performance is strengthening due to long-term structural improvements and its Generation Recovery Plan. The Energy Availability Factor has risen to 68.48-percent month-to-date, up from 62.24-percent last year. Unplanned outages have also declined, with South Africa marking 196 days without supply interruption. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokoena says the power utility will add three-thousand-875-meggawatts ahead of the evening peak tomorrow, as maintenance and plant reliability continue to improve:

# Police have launched a manhunt after six suspects awaiting trial escaped from the holding cells at Lydenburg Police Station in Mpumalanga. The escape was discovered during a routine inspection yesterday morning, when officers noticed a leaking pipe and later found a hole in the cell wall. The fugitives are accused of murder, rape, firearm possession and malicious damage. Authorities have urged the public to report any sightings and avoid confronting the suspects.

# Motorsport: Oscar Piastri boosted his title bid with a dramatic late lap to claim pole position on Saturday for the Qatar Grand Prix, beating McLaren teammate and series leader Lando Norris by a tenth of a second. Four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull qualified third. For Piastri, the race is win or bust. If Norris finishes ahead of his teammate and Verstappen, the Briton will seal his maiden title ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Norris leads the championship with 396 points, ahead of Piastri on 374 and Verstappen on 371.

# And finally, more than 1.7-million-rand’s snails were stolen from a French snail farmer during the week. French media said the incident left the supplier scrambling to replenish its stock in time for the holiday season. The family business near Bouzy breeds around 350-thousand snails annually and supply to a long list of restaurants including some Michelin clientele. According to the company’s Facebook page thieves broke into the buildings housing the snails after cutting the fence surrounding the property and took off with jarred, fresh and frozen snails.

Stay tuned for more news………….