News 15:00

BULLETIN 9 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Gift of the Givers calls on Africa to support South Africa at the International Court of Justice
# Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says Eskom’s system is not reliable
# And Soccer: Germany mourns the loss of legendary Franz Beckenbauer  

# Gift of the Givers founder, Imtiaz Sooliman, has issued a call to action to the African Union and individual nations to throw their support behind South Africa as it presents its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The humanitarian organisation emphasises the importance of unity in standing against genocide, ethnic cleansing, and various forms of injustice. Sooliman stressed the need for a collective response to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

# Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says Eskom’s system is not reliable and that this is leading to different stages of load-shedding in the country. Ramokgopa briefed the media on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan in Pretoria. The minister says during the festive season when the electricity demand was low, Eskom’s team managed to ramp up maintenance at generation units:

# The Democratic Alliance has laid charges against the minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande at the Cape Town Central Police Station. DA national spokesperson for Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Karabo Khakhau, says the party accuses Nzimande, NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khoza, and the South African Communist Party of defrauding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. The charges stem from allegations of kickbacks and manipulative actions revealed in leaked audio recordings. Khakhau says the DA is demanding a thorough investigation into the matter:

# A Canadian tourist and his two children have pledged to never return to South Africa after enduring a traumatic four-hour abduction in Mpumalanga over the weekend. News24 reports, alongside two other Canadians and a South African national, they faced a harrowing ordeal at the hands of bogus police officers in downtown Mbombela. Forced at gunpoint to withdraw substantial sums from their bank accounts, the victims encountered a sluggish police response. The incident raises concerns about the impact of rising crime on tourism in the country, highlighting the urgent need for heightened security measures.

# Soccer: Former German player and manager Franz Beckenbauer has passed away at the age of 78 years. Affectionately known as ‘Der Kaiser,’ Beckenbauer is said to have left an indelible mark on the sport, securing World Cup victories as captain in 1974 and as manager in 1990. His legendary status extends to Bayern Munich, where he achieved remarkable success, winning three consecutive European Cups and four Bundesliga titles. The soccer community says it’s deeply saddened by the loss of this iconic figure.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-70-cents and the euro at 20-rand-44-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-77-cents and Bitcoin trades at 46-thousand-652-dollars-67-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-and-34-dollars-69-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 77-dollars-54-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….