News 15:00

BULLETIN 25 January 3 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The GOOD Party says Tshwane’s deputy mayor must have her powers stripped during a fraud probe
# There is an increase in smash and grab incidents in Cape Town
# And tennis: Back-to-back finals for Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne

# The GOOD Party in Tshwane is calling on the metro’s coalition government to strip the newly elected deputy mayor, Nasiphi Moya, of her powers until an ongoing fraud investigation clears her name. Moya is alleged to have kept a ten-thousand-rand travel allowance for herself in 2020 after a scheduled work trip to Saudi Arabia was shelved. The GOOD Party’s Janke Tolmay says the deputy mayor was then serving as the mayor’s chief of staff:

# The City of Cape Town says intersections along Jakes Gerwel Drive remain hotspots for smash and grab incidents. During November and December, 36 incidents were recorded. The Metro Police Strategic Surveillance Unit also recorded a surge in incidents where would-be thieves scout for opportunities. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the statistics show a continued need for extreme vigilance and locking away valuables, but some motorists have yet to do their bit:

# The United Nations says tank shells have struck a huge compound where it was sheltering displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, Gaza. Israel has denied its forces were responsible and suggested Hamas may have launched the shelling. The attack hit a vocational training complex housing 30-thousand displaced people, killing at least nine and wounding 75. US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel says America deplores the attack. He adds civilians must be protected and UN facilities must be respected.

# Tennis: Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus made good on her promise to take revenge on Coco Gauff for losing to her in the final of last year’s American Open. The second-seeded defending champion defeated the fourth-seeded American in straight sets in the semifinal of the Australian Open, winning 7-6, 6-4. Sabalanka now awaits the result of the second semifinal between Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine and Qinwen Zheng of China to decide her opponent in Saturday’s final. Sabalanka says it’s wonderful to play for the title again:

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-89-cents and the euro at 20-rand-57-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-5-cents and Bitcoin trades at 40-thousand-253-dollars-84-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-18-dollars-58-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 81-dollars-5-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Health minister Joe Phaahla received a multi-million-rand health equipment donation from the German Development Bank at Sobantu Community Hall, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, today. The 500-million-rand donation includes mobile health clinics, specialised vaccine fridges, vaccine carriers, temperature monitoring devices and information technology equipment. The donation aims to support government efforts to strengthen the public health system. 

Stay tuned for more news………….