News 15:00

BULLETIN 14 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party congratulates matriculants but condemns tertiary education failures
# Retail giants are told to play fair with fresh produce as price wars continue
# And Rugby: Wales coach Warren Gatland knows his job is on the line

# The MK Party has congratulated the Matric Class of 2024 for their resilience despite challenges, especially in rural areas. However, they condemn systemic failures in education, citing insufficient tertiary spaces, leaving over 600-thousand learners without further education options. They demand earlier result release dates, expanded tertiary access, and reforms to improve teaching conditions. The party also calls for accountability and equitable reforms to address poverty and inequality in education.

# The Competition Commission has ordered major retailers, including Shoprite, Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Spar, and Food Lover’s Market, to price fresh produce per 100 grams. This change will help consumers compare prices more easily. This decision follows an investigation into the fresh produce market, which found current pricing practices distort competition. The inquiry also uncovered inefficiencies in the 53-billion-rand fresh produce market, including monopolies and barriers for small farmers. Retailers have 12 months to make the changes.

# The Limpopo MEC for Education Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya is urging grade 12 learners who failed matric in 2024 and are still of school going age, to return to class as fulltime candidates to repeat the year. The province has obtained an 85.01-percent pass rate, compared to 79.5-percent in 2023. Lerule-Ramakhanya says leaners can also register as part-time learners to re-write subjects during the 2025:

# Sudanese volunteer rescuers said shelling of an area of Omdurman, the capital Khartoum’s twin city just across the Nile River, killed more than 120 people. The rescuers said medical supplies were in critically short supply as health workers struggled to treat a large number of wounded people suffering from varying degrees of injuries. Fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has escalated in recent weeks after more than 20 months of war in Sudan.

# Rugby: Under-pressure Wales coach, Warren Gatland, says he accepts that a change is likely if they don’t show signs of improvement during the Six Nations. Wales have not won a Test since beating Georgia during the 2023 World Cup. The team has been bolstered by the return of Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and Josh Adams, with their opening game against France in Paris on the 31st of January. Gatland says it’s about rising to the challenge:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-93-cents and the euro at 19-rand-41-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-6-cents and Bitcoin trades at 96-thousand-492-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-665-dollars-67-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-84-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….