News 17:00

BULLETIN 16 January 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Police confirm the arrests of suspected illegal mining ringleaders in Stilfontein
# The PSA calls for urgent solutions to the ongoing learner placement crisis
# And Tennis: Jannik Sinner drops a set for the first time in 14 matches but remains on course at the Australian Open

# Police have arrested suspected ringleaders of illegal mining in Stilfontein, in North West. This follows allegations of torture, assault, starvation, and murder of illegal miners at the abandoned gold mine. The arrests were made between Monday and yesterday after some miners resurfaced from shaft eleven and identified the suspects. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says investigations are ongoing and 87 bodies have been recovered since the operation started:

Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement demands accountability for the lives that were lost. They blame the ANC-DA-led government for failing to secure borders and control illegal mining. ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona calls for stronger border controls, action against companies responsible for abandoned mines, and support for local communities:

# The Public Servants Association calls for urgent action to solve the ongoing school admission crisis. Thousands of learners are still unplaced as the school year starts, leading to protests. The PSA criticises the Department of Basic Education for not expanding infrastructure to accommodate more learners. The association’s Claude Naiker also urged the department to improve security at schools and government buildings as the failure to resolve these issues is putting employees’ safety at risk.

# Tennis: World number one Jannik Sinner dropped a set for the first time in 14 matches before surging back to keep his Australian Open title defence on track. The Italian top seed had no answers at the start against Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate, ranked 173, but found his groove to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and 6-3 on centre court. It was his 16th consecutive victory in an ominous sign for next opponent Marcos Giron in round three.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-88-cents and the euro at 19-rand-38-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-1-cent and Bitcoin trades at 99-thousand-12-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-707-dollars-95-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 80-dollars-69-cents a barrel.

# And finally: American singer, songwriter and actress Kiesha Cole has cancelled her South African tour due to devastating fires in Los Angeles. In a statement, Tutone Communication’s Melanie Ramjee revealed Cole lost her home and cannot proceed with performances. The team is assessing the situation and will announce updates next week. Ramjee says that fans will receive ticket instructions via email.

Stay tuned for more news………….