News 14:00

BULLETIN 10 December 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa urges action on the high youth unemployment in Mpumalanga
# The DA gives Panyaza Lesufi’s cabinet a failing grade in service delivery
# And Rugby Australia reveals its five-year goal to be the world’s number one nation

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent measures to tackle Mpumalanga’s high youth unemployment rate, which surpasses the national average. Speaking during a meeting with the provincial executive, he emphasised the need for inclusive economic growth and collaboration across all levels of government to address poverty and joblessness. Ramaphosa urged stakeholders to align their efforts to create jobs and improve living standards in the province:

# The DA has slammed Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government, giving it a poor 2.9 out of ten in its annual report card. The party highlights significant failures across multiple departments, including Community Safety, Health, and Economic Development, citing mismanagement, corruption, and failure to meet critical targets. The DA’s Solly Msimanga criticises Lesufi’s leadership as a dismal failure, warning that the collapsing delivery of basic services is negatively impacting residents:

# The governing body of the Pretoria High School for Girls has taken the Gauteng Education Department to the local High Court, challenging the investigations into claims of racism. The body argues the probe was unlawful, seeking to halt the recommendations and access the full report. The department defends the investigation, citing statutory authority and insisting dissatisfaction does not equate to unlawfulness. The controversy includes allegations of micro-aggressions and disciplinary hearings.

# US president-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end birthright citizenship, under which people born in America are automatically considered citizens. The move would strip rights from those born in the country to undocumented parents, despite the protection being enshrined in the Constitution. In an interview with NBC, Trump redoubled his campaign pledge to oversee mass deportation of illegal immigrants. He says the programme will begin with undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

# Rugby: The CEO of Australia’s governing body, Phil Waugh, says they need to set ambitious goals if they are to take the sport to the next level. Rugby Australia has released its strategy for 2025 to ’29. The country is set to host the British and Irish Lions tour next year, a home men’s World Cup in ’27 and the women’s tournament in ’29. Waugh says sudden turnarounds can be achieved in their quest to become the top rugby-playing nation in the world by 2029:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-83-cents and the euro at 18-rand-78-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-76-cents and Bitcoin trades at 97-thousand-837-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-667-dollars-19-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 71-dollars-76-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….