News 14:00

BULLETIN 13 December 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The IRR says getting crime under control is vital for South Africa to reach its full potential
# Motorsport: Brazil will make a return to MotoGP in 2026
# And Tyla shines at the Billboard Music Awards with two prizes

# The Institute of Race Relations says crime is one of the biggest drags on economic growth and a serious obstacle in the way of South Africa reaching its full potential. The World Bank found crime costs up to ten-percent of South Africa’s gross domestic product annually. The institute has launched its latest paper today, titled Solutions to SA’s Crime Crisis to Boost Growth. Spokesperson Marius Roodt says it proposes several solutions, including legislative reform and allowing greater private sector involvement in finding solutions to the crime crisis.

# Bidvest Group has agreed to sell 100-percent of Bidvest Bank Holdings to Access Bank for 2.8-billion-rand. CEO Mpumi Madisa expressed confidence that the prominent financial institution with a global presence, will ensure the bank’s growth and sustainability. The sale is part of Bidvest’s broader restructuring of its Financial Services division, which also includes the sale of FinGlobal to the Momentum Group and ongoing discussions regarding Bidvest Life.

# The N3 Toll Concession says ill discipline remains rampant amongst drivers on the route through Gauteng, the Free State, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Operations manager, Thania Dhoogra, says human factors, which point to driver negligence, reckless behaviour, and poor decision-making, contributed to 75-percent of light motor vehicle crashes and 81-percent of truck crashes recorded on the N3 between January and October this year:

# Motorsport: Brazil will return to the MotoGP world championship calendar for the first time in more than two decades in 2026. The Goiania Ayrton Senna circuit, named after the late local Formula One world champion, will host the race until at least 2030. MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports’ CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, says this new agreement offers a fantastic opportunity to expand in South America, which is a key market for the sport and manufacturers.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-93-cents and the euro at 18-rand-80-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-65-cents and Bitcoin trades at 100-thousand-118-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-669-dollars-71-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-70-cents a barrel.

# And finally: South African pop sensation Tyla triumphed at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, winning Top Afrobeats Song and Top Afrobeats Artist. She had been nominated eight times in six categories including Top R-and-B Artist and Top R-and-B Female Artist. Known for representing amapiano, Tyla also won accolades at the SAMAs, Grammys, BET, and MTV EMAs. She thanked her fans for their support:

Stay tuned for more news………….