News 16:00

BULLETIN 24 January 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The South African government expects judgment in the case against Israel on Friday
# The Transport minister laments that the majority of fatalities in road accidents were young people
# And soccer: Ghana’s head coach is fired after an early Afcon exit

# The South African government expects the International Court of Justice’s judgment in its case against Israel on Friday. South Africa’s legal team argued earlier this month Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza boils down to genocide, while Israel denied its war against Hamas violates the United Nations’ Genocide Convention of 1948. News24 reports a South African delegation has arrived in The Hague in the Netherlands for the expected verdict on provisional measures, including ordering Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza.

# Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has noted the alarming number of young people killed in road accidents are between the ages of 25 and 44 years. The minister released the 2023/24 festive season road traffic statistics at a media briefing in Gauteng. Fatalities reduced by 25, from one-thousand-452 in the previous reporting period to one-thousand-427 in the current period. Chikunga attributed the decrease to relentless law enforcement, as well as education and awareness campaigns:

# The DA calls on president Cyril Ramaphosa to authorise the Special Investigating Unit to investigate the 300-million-rand Transnet scandal. The party alleges Transnet National Ports Authority CEO Mninawe Pepi Silinga irregularly appointed the Coega Development Corporation to implement security fencing upgrades at major ports, inflating costs from 76-million-rand to a staggering 301-million-rand. The DA’s Mimmy Gondwe is sceptical about the impartiality of Transnet’s internal inquiry. She demands Silinga’s precautionary suspension pending a thorough inquiry:

# Soccer: Ghana’s early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast cost head coach Chris Hughton his job. The Western African country finished third in Group B after a 2-all draw with Mozambique. Ghana’s governing body announced Hughton was relieved of his duties with immediate effect, while the Black Stars’ technical team was also dissolved. It says the team’s future direction will be decided in the coming days. Ghana could only win four out of 13 matches since Hughton took over in March last year.

# And finally: Western Cape inmate Benn Mathews Christopher was last year’s highest performing inmate and parolee, achieving six distinctions in his matric examinations. The Department of Correctional Services reports Christopher, from Brandvlei Correctional Centre near Worcester in the Boland, obtained an average of 86.14-percent. His distinctions include As in English First Additional Language, Maths Literacy, Tourism and Business Studies. High-achieving inmates from various prisons received trophies and certificates during a ceremony at the Westville Correctional Services Centre in Durban.

Stay tuned for more news………….