News 16:00

BULLETIN NEWS AGENCY 30 December 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The DA in the Western Cape lays a crimen injuria charge against a SABC brand manager
# The se against a statutory rape accused in Limpopo returns in January
# And concern over threats facing the iconic baobab tree in Africa

# The DA in the Western Cape has laid a charge of crimen injuria against SABC brand manager Nobuntu Mkhize for allegedly hurling racist slurs toward the coloured community while on a FlySafair flight. DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers was joined by the flight attendant allegedly racially abused at the Bishop Lavis police station in Cape Town. Simmers says police also opened a case of assault after listening to her statement. He says the party stands firmly behind the flight attendant and every other person affected by racism.

# A 28-year-old man accused of statutory rape will be back in the Seshego Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo on 8 January to apply for bail. Ditebogo Frans Gololo is accused of impregnating a 13-year-old girl in Seshego township gave birth last week. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi says further investigations are underway:

# Agricultural organisation TLU SA says the current circumstances in Mozambique are detrimental to the entire region and will inevitably lead to worsening socio-economic conditions. Spokesperson Bennie van Zyl says the port of Maputo has, over time, developed into the most efficient export hub for South African agricultural products. He says the current unrest has rendered that advantage irrelevant, and they can only hope that stability will be restored swiftly:

# Tennis: Defending champion Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria eased into round two of the Brisbane International with a hard-fought 7-6, 6-3 victory over German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann. Second-seeded Dimitrov has a great track record in the Australian city, winning twice as well as making the final in 2013. Czech Jiri Lehecka caused a major upset with a 7-5, 6-3 win over third-seeded Norwegian Holger Rune. Earlier, eighth-seeded Australian Jordan Thompson came from a set down to overcome former world number six Matteo Berrettini of Italy.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-76-cents and the euro at 19-rand-61-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-63-cents and Bitcoin trades at 93-thousand-826-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-616-dollars-68-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 73-dollars-91-cents a barrel.

# And, finally: The National Museum of Kenya is concerned about threats facing the iconic Baobab tree in Africa. These include global demand for its fruit, climate change, and industrialisation. In 2022, baobabs were controversially uprooted in Kenya and exported to Georgia. Ethno-botanist Patrick Maundu cited to SABC News the environmental concerns as thousands of baobabs and several indigenous South African trees will be cleared for a heavy industry development plan in Limpopo:

Stay tuned for more news………….