News 14:00

BULLETIN 1 December 2 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Thuli Madonsela is locked in a legal fight over her late partner’s ten-million-rand estate
# The cyclone death toll in Sri Lanka climbs to 355, with 366 people missing
# And rugby: The Blitzboks are in a tough pool for the Cape Town Sevens

# Former public protector Thuli Madonsela is locked in a legal dispute with the children of her late partner, Richard Foxton, over his ten-million-rand estate. The 82-year-old public relations executive died in June. His children are challenging Madonsela’s claim, prompting her to take legal steps. Experts say the dispute underscores estate law complexities in South Africa, especially where formal agreements or wills may be unclear pertaining to long-term partnerships.

# The Gauteng Department of Economic Development spent hundreds of thousands of rand to contest a 150-thousand-rand acting allowance claim by former Gauteng Gambling Board employee Lucky Lukhwareni. MEC Lebogang Maile revealed the Labour Court dismissed the department’s case on 18 August. The DA’s Mike Moriarty says they criticise the decision as wasteful and unethical, saying such spending is unacceptable while provincial services struggle to meet citizens’ needs:

Moving abroad:

# Rescuers in Sri Lanka are still scrambling to clear roads and deliver aid to more than half-a-million people hit by Friday’s cyclone as the death toll climbed to 355, with 366 people missing. Cyclone Ditwah brought the island nation’s worst floods in a decade, setting off landslides in the hilly central region. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says it was the first time the entire country had been struck by such a natural disaster, and the largest and most challenging in it’s history.

# Rugby: Hosts South Africa had been drawn in Pool A alongside New Zealand, Fiji and Great Britain for the weekend’s Cape Town Sevens. The Blitzboks finished fifth in Dubai yesterday when New Zealand won the season’s first tournament. Pool B consists of Argentina, Australia, France and Spain. South Africa is the defending champion after beating France in last year’s final. In the women’s draw, New Zealand’s Black Ferns will meet Fiji, USA and Great Britain in Pool A, while Australia heads up Pool B, alongside Japan, Canada and France.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-7-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-57-cents and Bitcoin trades at 86-thousand-620-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-256-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-32-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The South African Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reaffirmed its commitment to women living with HIV. The society’s Ishmail Bhorat on World AIDS Day highlighted South Africa’s progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission and stressed the need for early antenatal care, HIV testing, contraceptive access, cervical cancer screening, and holistic reproductive healthcare. He says SASOG calls for stigma-free clinical environments and urges women and policymakers to actively support HIV prevention, treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health services:

Stay tuned for more news………….