News 15:00

BULLETIN 4 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The United States condemns South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
# The DA says citizens are unable to obtain passports as Home Affairs’ system is offline again
# And, motorsport: Several South Africans take on the gruelling Dakar from tomorrow

# The United States has criticised South Africa for approaching the International Court of Justice in The Hague, seeking a genocide case against Israel over the war in Gaza. South Africa wants the court to order Israel to cease its military operation. The U.S. State Department’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, has stated that South Africa’s submission is considered to be without merit:

# The DA says the Department of Home Affairs’ system is offline nationwide, and reports indicate that the issue is with the State Information Technology Agency. The party says this continues to happen, where the department is unable to deliver services due to its system being offline. The DA’s Angel Khanyile says they are being inundated with calls from applicants who wish to travel abroad, but are unable to as they have not received their passports:

# The business rescue practitioners of agriculture and agri-processing business, Tongaat Hulett, are scheduled to vote on changes and potential new ownership next week. This follows an order from the High Court in Durban, stating that the previously released rescue plans could not be voted on in their current form. The court ruled that the business rescue process, providing protection against creditors, does not absolve Tongaat Hulett of obligations to make industry payments. The meeting will address and vote on the revised plans.

# Motorsport: The grueling Dakar Rally starts in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, with Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar geared to go for a third title in a row and a sixth in total. The 46th edition of the iconic race will consist of a prologue and 12 stages, and will end on the 19th of this month after seven-thousand-891 kilometres. South Africa will be represented by drivers such as Giniel de Villiers, Dennis Murphy, Gareth Woolridge, Boyd Dreyer, Guy Botterill, Brett Cummings, Hennie de Klerk, Juan Mohr and Saood Variawa.  

# And finally: A woman has been reunited with a handbag that was stolen 30 years ago, after it was found washed up in Aberdeen in Scotland. The bag had been taken from 81-year-old Audrey Hay at her former workplace in the city. It is thought the thief may have taken money from the bag before throwing it into the River Don. Eleven-year-old Maisie Coutts was walking at the mouth of the Don with her parents when she found the old bag on Tuesday. They found the owner’s name on a credit card inside the back and tracked her down through social media.

Stay tuned for more news………….