News 15:00

BULLETIN 24 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Public Works minister vows to protect property rights under the new Expropriation Act
# The Department of Health confirms the death of another suspected illegal miner in Stilfontein
# And tennis: Paula Badosa says Aryna Sabalenka will be difficult to stop in the final in Melbourne

# Public Works minister Dean Macpherson has vowed to ensure the newly signed Expropriation Act is not abused and that property rights remain protected under the Constitution. The act was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa to allow expropriation without compensation in specific public interest cases. While the ANC supports the law as transformative, the DA and the FF Plus plan to challenge it in court. Macpherson emphasises that regulations will safeguard against misuse and ensure the expropriation process follows constitutional and legal guidelines.

Meanwhile, AfriForum is demanding that Macpherson must refuse to co-sign the act. The organisation warns that signing would enable ANC policies detrimental to property rights. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl emphasises the minister’s constitutional authority to block the act’s proclamation and vows legal action if private property rights are threatened:

# The Department of Health has confirmed the death of another suspected illegal miner in Stilfontein, North West. The deceased was part of a group of 33 illegal miners admitted to the Klerksdorp/Tshepong Hospital under police guard after their arrest during a national rescue operation at a disused mine last week. The department’s Tshegofatso Mothibedi says they are coordinating with law enforcement to prevent further loss of life:

# Tennis: Spanish player Paula Badosa backs her close friend, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, to clinch her third consecutive Australian Open title tomorrow. Badosa suffered a heavy 6-4, 6-2 loss to the world number one in yesterday’s semifinal. Sabalenka faces American Madison Keys, who had an uphill battle to down world number two, Iga Swiatek of Poland. Badosa says Sabalenka was so good at Melbourne Park, it was like she was playing a PlayStation and it doesn’t look like anyone will be able to stop her.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-37-cents and the euro at 19-rand-26-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-28-cents and Bitcoin trades at 105-thousand-467-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-775-dollars-33-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-98-cents a barrel.

# And finally: The iconic Cape Town Met horser racing event is set to draw both sports fans and social butterflies to the Kenilworth Racecourse tomorrow. This year’s theme is Couture Unleashed, merging avant-garde artistry with timeless elegance. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says now in its 163rd year, the event gathers attendees to witness the world’s finest thoroughbreds compete for glory, amidst a dazzling display of style and entertainment:

Stay tuned for more news………….