News 16:00

BULLETIN 8 June 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# A climate expert urges South Africa to stay alert as El Niño risks persist
# The Gautrain eyes expansion and greater affordability amid its 16th anniversary commemoration
# And tennis: Serena Williams says her comeback is not about adding to her trophy collection

# Climate expert Trevor Abrahams has warned South Africa cannot afford to become complacent about the threat of El Niño and its impact on weather patterns. He told News24 the rising climate variability continues to pose serious risks to agriculture, water security and vulnerable communities. Abrahams stresses the importance of strengthening early-warning systems, disaster preparedness and climate resilience measures. The warning comes as experts caution that extreme weather events linked to climate change could intensify, requiring coordinated action from government, business and communities. 

# Hawks Lieutenant-Colonel Nkoana Sebola has told the Madlanga commission about screenshots of messages allegedly exchanged between businessman Tumelo Ngu and alleged police informant, Alpha. An initial tip-off led authorities to the Aeroton cocaine bust in Johannesburg in July 2021, where about 715-kilograms of cocaine worth more than 300-million-rand was seized. Sebola told evidence leader Thabang Pooe screenshots appeared to originate from Transnet systems and formed part of investigations:

# Gautrain Board chairperson Mfanelo Ntsobi has praised the rail network’s performance as it marks its 16th anniversary. Speaking to SABC News, Ntsobi highlighted 13 consecutive clean audits, job creation and the successful transition to greater government ownership, saying service standards have remained high. Ntsobi says Gautrain’s next phase will focus on affordability, inclusion and expansion to underserved communities. He announces plans including infrastructure upgrades to make the service more accessible:

# The black market for illegal and cloned number plates in South Africa is growing rapidly, raising serious security concerns. The president of the License Plate Association of South Africa, Jan de Lange, says three main manufacturers supply blank plates and embossing equipment to authorised embossers, and production requires strict South African Bureau of Standards certification, inspections, and audits before approval. He says many illegal embossers operate outside the system. He estimates over half of the 250-thousand plates produced monthly are illegal.

# Tennis: Twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, says she has nothing to prove as she prepares to make a return after four years. The 44-year-old American will play her first competitive match at Queen’s Club in London this week, when she partners 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko in the women’s doubles. Williams also added the Berlin Open to her schedule. Williams says she is not putting pressure on herself to win:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-47-cents and the euro at 19-rand. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 62-thousand-960-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-330-dollars-22-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 93-dollars-57-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….