News 16:00

BULLETIN 4 December 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The CEO of SASSA is placed on precautionary suspension
# Cape Town beaches offer world-class water quality ahead of the festive season
# And tennis: Novak Djokovic will begin his 2025 season in Brisbane

# South African Social Security Agency CEO, Busisiwe Memela-Khambula, has been placed on precautionary suspension with full pay, pending the outcome of an investigation into her appointment. This comes after the oOffice of the Public Protector raised serious concerns regarding Memela-Khambula’s appointment and the broader dysfunction within the agency. Social Development minister Nokuzola Tolashe says the decision to suspend the CEO is prompted by the need to investigate without hindrance or interference.

# The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has called for a forensic investigation into the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority amid allegations of procurement irregularities. The organisation raised concerns about INSETA’s handling of tenders, suggesting several companies may have violated procurement policies and legal requirements. OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage says INSETA’s actions, including the de-accreditation of the Graduate Institute of Financial Sciences, warranted further scrutiny:

# AgriSA is calling for better logistics and new export markets after a 28.8-percent drop in agricultural gross domestic product in the third quarter. The organisation attributes the decline to drought conditions and adverse weather, which affected key crops and fruits. AgriSA states that improving market access, especially in BRICS countries, and tackling non-tariff barriers are key to driving inclusive growth and job creation. They call for policies that support sustainable farming practices to ensure long-term resilience in the sector.

# The City of Cape Town says the metro’s most popular beaches show world-class water quality results ahead of the summer festive season. This is based on an independent analysis of water samples. Head of Coastal Management Gregg Oelofse says 100-percent of the 120 water samples taken over the last month showed water quality within recreational use guidelines across the 30 most popular beaches:

# Tennis: Twenty-four-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic will begin his 2025 season at the Brisbane International next month, in preparation for the Australian Open. The Serbian has not competed since he fell to world number one Jannik Sinner of Italy in the Shanghai Masters in October. Djokovic will bid for an eleventh Australian Open title and a record 25th Grand Slam crown. The 37-year-old says he is looking forward to experiencing the incredible support from the Australian fans and making the Brisbane International a tournament to remember.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-13-cents and the euro at 19-rand-3-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 95-thousand-881-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-643-dollars-90-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-46-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….