News 18:00

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The MK Party calls for CR17 bank statements to be unsealed and the Phala Phala report to be declassified
# Cape Town learners are granted bail in a bullying case
# And King Charles and Pope Leo pray together

# The MK Party is calling for the Constitutional Court to unseal president Cyril Ramaphosa’s CR17 bank statements and for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate to declassify the Phala Phala report. The party’s national chairperson, Nathi Nhleko, says South Africans deserve to know the full truth about Ramaphosa’s financial dealings and alleged misconduct at his game farm in Limpopo. Nhleko vows they will use all parliamentary and legal means to ensure accountability and justice:

# Former Police minister Bheki Cele has confirmed meeting controversial businessman Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala, telling Parliament’s ad hoc committee that Matlala had approached him offering private security transport services after Cele left government. Cele said he had read about Matlala’s 360-million-rand Tshwane tender before meeting him but maintained he did not know him personally. He described Matlala as a cool guy who seemed ordinary until reports about his business dealings surfaced:

# Eight learners from Milnerton High School linked to a bullying incident, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Two under-aged accused was released on warning by the Juvenile Court. Bail of two-thousand-rand each was granted to the six under strict conditions, including no contact with complainants or witnesses, and a ban from school grounds. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Eric Ntabazalila says the case was postponed to 20 January so they can write exams. Their identities remain protected.

# Rugby: Australia made 13 changes and named Nick Champion de Crespigny captain as they begin a five-Test tour in Tokyo against Eddie Jones’s Japan on Saturday. Coach Joe Schmidt’s men will afterwards head to Europe to take on England, Italy, Ireland and France on successive weekends. Champion de Crespigny was named captain in just his third Test, having made his debut against the British and Irish Lions in July. The 29-year-old will line up in the back row alongside Carlo Tizzano and Rob Valetini.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-32-cents and the euro at 20-rand-11-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-10-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-889-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-138-dollars-35-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-99-cents a barrel.

# And finally: King Charles became the first head of the Church of England today to pray publicly with a pontiff in a Vatican service led by Pope Leo. The ceremony in the Sistine Chapel, broadcast live by the Vatican’s official news service, came during a state visit by the 76-year-old monarch and Queen Camilla. It was the first time a reigning English or British monarch has prayed publicly with a pope since King Henry the Eighth broke with Rome 500 years ago.

Stay tuned for more news………….