News 15:00

BULLETIN 15 December 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Presidency ensures ongoing protection for Madlanga commission witnesses and whistle-blowers
# A manhunt is underway for suspects in connection with the killing of a principal in Tembisa
# And cricket: The Proteas Women can clinch the ODI series against Ireland tomorrow

# The Presidency says extensive measures are ongoing to protect witnesses and whistle-blowers appearing before the Madlanga commission. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says ministerial engagements with media aim to prevent undue exposure, following the killing of witness D, Marius van der Merwe. Magwenya says witness protection reviews continue to ensure safety throughout the commission’s proceedings. He adds the Protected Disclosure Bill will cover all government spheres:

# The MK Party has condemned escalating threats and intimidation against its members in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, following calls for the removal of premier Thami Ntuli. The party’s Nhlamulo Ndhlela says threats from IFP members prompted the MK Party to open a case of intimidation and violence at Hilton police station. She says the party will continue the no-confidence motion without fear and calls on police to urgently address political violence.

# Gauteng police have launched a manhunt following the killing of a 61-year-old principal at a local school in Tembisa. Police spokesperson, Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, says four men broke into the house with an axe and robbed the man and his family. She says the suspects made off with cash, laptops and cellphones:

# The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union national executive committee has vowed to fight against Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza despite the recent ceasefire. The union’s spokesperson, Nomusa Cembi, says since the war began in October 2023, Israel has explicitly targeted Gaza’s education system by bombing universities, libraries and schools, and killing teachers and students. She says education cannot be used as a weapon of war:

# Cricket: The Proteas Women can clinch the one-day series against Ireland in Gqeberha tomorrow after winning the first encounter in East London on Saturday. Suné Luus and Miané Smit led South Africa’s charge, contributing undefeated scores of 66 and 56, respectively, after Nonkululeko Mblaba took three wickets. Ireland was restricted to 209 for seven and the Proteas reached the winning target with just three wickets down and over ten overs remaining. The final ODI will be played in Johannesburg on Friday.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-78-cents and the euro at 19-rand-72-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-47-cents and Bitcoin trades at 89-thousand-808-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-339-dollars-61-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 60-dollars-83-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….