News 16:00

BULLETIN 12 January 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# AfriForum pledges to defend property rights amid Fikile Mbalula’s expropriation plans
# SANParks warns of rising river levels in the Kruger Park
# And motorsport: Nasser Al-Attiyah reclaims the overall lead in the Dakar race

# AfriForum has vowed to defend private property rights following ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s pledge to push for land expropriation without compensation. Speaking at the ANC’s 114th anniversary in Mogwase, North West, Mbalula also confirmed intentions to nationalise the Reserve Bank. AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl says the organisation will challenge the Expropriation Act in the Western Cape High Court in March and continue campaigns highlighting the constitutional importance of property rights:

# ActionSA says the ministers in the government of national unity have racked up nearly 450-million-rand in travel and accommodation expenses in their first 18 months in office. The party says this figure will balloon to 500-million-rand as outstanding parliamentary replies are finalised. ActionSA‘s Alan Beesley says this spending, compiled through ActionSA’s GNU performance tracker and based on replies to Parliamentary questions, paints a damning picture of executive indulgence:

# SANParks issued an updated advisory warning of severe weather conditions in parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, including the Kruger National Park. SANPark’s JP Louw says rising water levels in the Crocodile River threaten access to the Lower Sabie and Crocodile Bridge rest camps. He says several gates and roads remain closed, while guests are urged to follow safety instructions. SANParks continues to monitor conditions closely.

Moving abroad:

# US Federal Reserve chairperson, Jerome Powell, has condemned the latest criminal indictment by the Justice Department related to his testimony before the Senate’s Banking Committee last June. The testimony concerned, in part, a multi-year project to renovate historic Federal Reserve office buildings. Powell says this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of president Donald Trump’s administration’s threats and ongoing pressure:

# Motorsport: Nasser Al-Attiyah reclaimed the overall lead in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia after South Africans Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings’ Overdrive Toyota Hilux suffered a damper failure in the final-50 kilometres of Stage 7. German duo Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist won the stage. Today’s Stage 8 features the longest special stage of 481-kilometres around Wadi ad-Dawasir, with 65 out of 72 cars still competing. The rally’s second week promises intense desert battles.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-41-cents and the euro at 19-rand-17-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 90-thousand-698-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-580-dollars-45-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-65-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….