News 13:00

BULLETIN 2 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Over 700 investigations finalised by the Public Protector in quarter 3 of 2025/2026
# Over 1,000 suspects have been arrested for various criminal offences across Gauteng
# And, an economic group urges households to spend wisely amid rising living costs in 2026

# The Public Protector’s Office has finalised 768 investigations during the third quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, ending December 31 2025. These included 638 service delivery complaints, 107 good governance and integrity matters and 23 early resolution cases. The Public Protector’s spokesperson, Mothebe Mokgatlhe, says the new target of resolving complaints through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms bore fruit as 41.3-percent of complaints resolved in the quarter were finalised through this process:

# Gauteng police arrested over one-thousand-160 people for various criminal offences during New Year’s Eve celebrations and New Year’s Day. The suspects were apprehended for crimes ranging from possession of unlicensed firearms, drunk driving, dealing in drugs and theft. Police spokesperson, Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, says inspections were also conducted at liquor outlets to ensure compliance with the Gauteng Liquor Act:

# Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group’s Mervyn Abrahams has urged households to spend carefully as affordability pressures persist into 2026. The December 2025 Household Affordability Index showed a 1.5-percent drop in food basket costs, however, basic foods remain volatile. Abrahams says the rising chicken, beef, and cooking oil prices, coupled with municipal and electricity increases, drive households to eat below nutritional needs. He calls for administered prices and financial prudence:

# Swiss police are warning it could take weeks to identify everyone who perished in the Constellation Bar fire on New Year’s Eve. About 40 people were killed and 115 injured when a fire ripped through the popular ski resort bar. Multiple people are still missing. As the investigation continues into the cause of the fire, speculation is that it began when candles on top of champagne bottles set fire to the ceiling. Switzerland’s president, Guy Parmelin, has described the deadly incident as one of the worst tragedies.

# Tennis: Forty-five-year-old Venus Williams has received the eighth and final women’s wildcard for the Australian Open. The seven-time Grand Slam champion, who last appeared at Melbourne Park in 2021, will become the oldest female player to compete in the tournament’s main draw. Williams will prepare for the first Grand Slam of the year at the Hobart International, where she also received a wildcard and will join fellow major champions Barbora Krejcikova and Emma Raducanu.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-52-cents and the euro at 19-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-22-cents to the dollar and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-15-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-390-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-60-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….