News 18:00

BULLETIN 11 December 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa commits to expanding rural infrastructure with 288 new bridges by 2026
# Motorsport: 43-year-old Fernando Alonso still dreams of a third F1 world title
# And Dricus du Plessis and Tyla were among South Africans’ top Google searches this year

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to expand rural infrastructure with the construction of 288 new bridges by 2026 as part of the Welisizwe rural bridges programme. The project aims to improve access and safety in rural communities, creating over 17-thousand jobs and 510 training opportunities. In his keynote address at the launch of the programme in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, Ramaphosa says with a budget of 3.8-billion-rand, the bridges will use locally sourced materials, boosting the economy:

# Road Traffic Infringement Agency CEO, Matsemela Moloi, has warned motorists that 15 demerit points will lead to the suspension of driver’s licences. This comes as the agency plans to launch the demerit system in a few months’ time. Moloi told Newzroom Afrika that violations recorded on the National Contraventions Register can lead to licence cancellation after three suspensions:

# The South African Human Rights Commission is calling for increased child allowances and extended school feeding programmes to address malnutrition challenges. One-thousand-500 children in South Africa have reportedly died from acute malnutrition in the past two years. The Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and Gauteng reported the highest numbers. Commissioner Jonas Sibanyoni says government needs to further extend the school feeding schemes to weekends.

# Motorsport: Veteran Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso says he is still dreaming about a third world title. The 43-year-old clinched his two titles in 2005 and 2006. The Aston Martin driver expects the next season to be extremely difficult, saying his only chance would probably be in 2026. Alonso, who ended ninth in the drivers’ championship this year, says the sport is for dreamers and with the appointment of Adrian Newey, described as the greatest designer in F1 history, anything is possible.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-71-cents and the euro at 18-rand-62-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-61-cents and Bitcoin trades at 98-thousand-615-dollars. Gold sells at two-thousand-702-dollars-64-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 72-dollars-71-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………….