News 13:00

BULLETIN 21 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# SA’s new Ultimate Fighter world champion Dricus du Plessis says it wasn’t easy
# WHO Africa Region says the cholera outbreak has spread to 12 countries
# And, soccer: Namibia want to rewrite history against Bafana

# We start with mixed martial arts news: South Africa’s first Ultimate Fighter champion, Dricus du Plessis, was ecstatic as he held up the golden belt as middleweight UFC world title holder this morning. He defeated the defending champion, American Sean Strickland, in a brutal five-round fight in Toronto, Canada. It ended in a split decision in the Pretoria fighter’s favour. After the fight, Du Plessis said Strickland’s jab was like a rock and it took him a while to work out the American:

Sports, Arts and Culture minister Zizi Kodwa has congratulated Du Plessis on winning the United Fighting Championship middleweight title. Du Plessis made history as South Africa’s first UFC world champion. The department’s spokesperson, Litha Mpondwana, says minister Kodwa has congratulated him for flying the flag high with his remarkable performance:

# The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has granted an extension to allow the public to submit their comments on the review of Coastal Waters Discharge Permits issued to fish processing facilities in St. Helena Bay in the Western Cape. The date for submissions has been extended to 29 February. The department’s spokesperson, Peter Mbelengwa, says the review process aims to amend inconsistencies in the conditions of the permits to establish uniformity and ensure gradual and consistent improvement of the water quality at the coastal town over a five-year period.

# The World Health Organisation Africa Region says the cholera outbreak has spread to 12 countries on the continent. In Zambia, a vaccination campaign is currently underway targeting 1.5-million people, including children, health workers and people at high risk of infection. More than 1.4 million cholera vaccine doses have been delivered to the country to help stem the outbreak. As of Thursday, ten-thousand-887 cases and 432 deaths were reported across nine of the country’s ten provinces. WHO Africa emergency health officer, Patrick Otim, says the Lusaka district is the epicentre of the outbreak:

# And, soccer: Namibian head coach Collin Benjamin says they are focusing on the hopes and dreams of the people back home in tonight’s African Cup of Nations game against South Africa in Ivory Coast. After their historic 1-0 victory over Group E favourites, Tunisia, in their opening game, the Brave Warriors are determined to advance to the knockout stages. But they know they are facing a determined Bafana Bafana, still smarting from their 2-0 loss to Mali in their opening game. The match kicks off at ten tonight.

Stay tuned for more news………….