News 17:00

BULLETIN 10 December 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Western Cape Director of Public Prosecution Nicolette Bell is confident to lead the NPA
# The Commission for Gender Equality says teenage pregnancy is a national crisis
# And Cricket: New Zealand bowls the Windies out for 205 in Wellington

# Western Cape Director of Public Prosecution, Nicolette Bell, says she is ready to lead the entire National Prosecuting Authority. She was responding to questions during her interview to succeed National Director of Public Prosecution Shamila Batohi next year. Bell cited experience in NPA transitions, and managing complex crime divisions. She emphasised resilience, and public confidence as key to her leadership:

# The Commission for Gender Equality says teenage pregnancy remains one of South Africa’s most pressing gender and development challenges. In 2024 alone, over 90-thousand pregnancies were recorded among girls aged 10 to 19, and two-thousand-328 of those pregnancies were in girls between 10 and 14 years old. The commission’s spokesperson, Javu Baloyi, says adequate measures are needed to prevent, manage, and respond to teenage pregnancy cases:

#  United Nations Human Rights commissioner Volker Türk says his office is in survival mode due to major funding cuts from global donors amidst surging rights violations in conflict-affected areas. They have 1.5-billion-rand less in funding than needed this year, resulting in 300 jobs cuts, which directly impacted their work. Türk says essential work has had to be cut, with country visits by United Nations special rapporteurs and investigative missions by fact-finding bodies being reduced. Dialogues with states on UN human rights compliance were also postponed.

# Cricket: New Zealand bowled the West Indies out for 205 on the first day of the second Test in Wellington. Brandon King and Kavem Hodge built a 66-run opening partnership before the wickets started tumbling, and the visitors lost their last six wickets for just 52 runs. Blair Tickner was the main destroyer, taking four scalps before he was stretchered off with a suspected dislocated shoulder. The first Test in Christchurch ended in a draw and the final one will start in Mount Maunganui next Thursday.

# Financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-2-cents and the euro at 19-rand-81-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-66-cents and Bitcoin trades at 92-thousand-32-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-198-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 62-dollars-97-cents a barrel.

# And finally: A Kingswood College matric learner in the Eastern Cape has raised 35-thousand-rand to help renovate a children’s home in Makhanda. According to News24, Joanna du Toit collected the money through her small flower business and used it to fix ceilings, replace doors and windows, repaint the Home of Joy, and buy Christmas gifts for the children. Her community work earned her the Neil Aggett Award. Du Toit says she plans to continue supporting the home next year while studying at Stellenbosch University.

Stay tuned for more news………….