News 17:00

BULLETIN 11 December 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Welisizwe rural bridges aim to improve access and safety in Mpumalanga
# Rugby: Bok lock Salmaan Moerat returns for the Stormers after an injury
# And South Africans’ top Google searches in 2024 highlight key interests

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says government has fulfilled its promise to address the dilapidated bridges in Mpumalanga by launching several new bridges under the Welisizwe rural bridges programme. He officially unveiled the new Bailey bridge. Speaking at the Solomon Mahlangu stadium, Ramaphosa highlighted the benefits of the bridges for rural communities, improving access to schools, hospitals, and towns, while creating jobs and business opportunities:

# Action Society has urged government to make the national register for sex offenders public. This follows after a report revealed that over 16-thousand teachers in South Africa have criminal records. Spokesperson Juanita du Preez says the organisation is calling for greater transparency to protect children. She says the organisation demands that parents be able to check the criminal backgrounds of those who educate and care for their children:

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town facilitated a two-day workshop, titled Fatherhood for the Future, aligned with the 16 Days of Activism Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence. Participants included men and boys from Langa, Kraaifontein, Delft, Mfuleni, and Cape Town CBD. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, says facilitators used art and therapeutic techniques to foster dialogue and connection:

# Rugby: Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat could come straight into the Stormers squad for the weekend’s Champions Cup match against Harlequins in London after returning from injury. He sustained a knee injury early in September. Moerat, who captained the Boks on occasion, left with the team for England. Boks Manie Libbok and Ben-Jason Dixon had to stay behind because of concussion sustained against Toulon last weekend. Stormers defence coach Norman Laker describes Moerat as a good leader who means a lot to the team.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-77-cents and the euro at 18-rand-67-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-64-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-274-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-695-dollars-23-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-82-cents a barrel.

# And finally: Google’s 2024 Year in Search reveals South Africans’ strong interest in current affairs, entertainment, sports, and celebrity news. According to News24, Dricus du Plessis led athlete searches, while Tyla topped music queries. The Electoral Commission emerged as the most searched news event due to the national elections, followed by the two-pot system, and the US elections. Other top topics included the missing Joslin Smith, the death of actor Mpho Sebeng, and the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament.

Stay tuned for more news………….