News 13:00

BULLETIN 12 January 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Minister Gwarube hails teachers as architects of excellence
# At least ten major wildfires have been reported in the Western Cape
# And soccer: The South African Masters and Legends Association wants Lucas Radebe to run for SAFA’s presidency

# Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube has praised teachers across the country, describing them as the quiet architects of excellence. Celebrating the Matric Class of 2025 in Johannesburg, Gwarube said teachers recognise potential before it becomes visible, uphold high standards and refuse to give up on learners. She notes that despite challenges, teachers continue to show commitment, and courage:

Universities South Africa, USAf, has meanwhile announced that public universities will release application outcomes to prospective first-time students only after tonight’s official announcement of the matric exam results. CEO Phethiwe Matutu says prospective first-time entrants must therefore await their application outcomes directly from universities. She says this removes the need for students to inundate institutions with enquiries, or to arrive on campuses prematurely. She adds all 26 universities have indicated the dates and times from which students can expect to receive their application outcomes.

# Western Cape premier, Alan Winde, says ten major wildfires were reported across the province this past week, many of which have been contained. Forty-five structures have been damaged, and about 90-thousand hectares of land have been burnt. In Mossel Bay, the massive wildfire that swept through Aalwyndal, Island View and Vakansieplaas and forced evacuations, has been fully contained. Winde says no lives have been lost, thanks to the collective efforts of residents and emergency personnel.

Meanwhile, the Garden Route District Municipality in the Western Cape says a wildfire is still burning between Kleinberg and the Peerplaas gorge in an inaccessible mountainous area. The municipality’s spokesperson, Herman Pieters, says the northern and north-western flanks, including the Tradouw Pass area between Swellendam and Barrydale, remain active. He says firefighters worked throughout the night to suppress fire lines closest to critical infrastructure, and these areas remain a priority:

# Soccer: The South African Masters and Legends Association is considering fielding former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe as their candidate for governing body SAFA’s presidency. Danny Jordaan has not confirmed whether he will be contesting for a fourth term. Radebe failed to make the ballot in 2018 and 2022 because SAFA’s constitution requires candidates to be members of the associations’s structures with ten years of regional-level experience. The association says there is a huge appetite for esteemed individuals and former players such as Radebe to rescue SAFA.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-40-cents and the euro at 19-rand-18-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-8-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-761-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-596-dollars-31-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-73-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….