News Bulletin of 18 December 2025, 8am

Headline 1
Fourways Mall home to SA's first Total Ninja Interactive
Story 1
Fourways Mall has become the home of South Africa's first Total Ninja Interactive, a cutting-edge indoor entertainment destination.
The venue combines playground fun with video game excitement.
The 1,250-square-metre space features award-winning attractions, including ValoJump Air trampolines, interactive ValoClimb walls, and a ValoArena that turns physical competition into a high-energy digital game.
Other attractions include Dodge Attack, Wipeout, and Battle Ball, as well as a Mini Ninja soft play area for kids under five.
Chief Operating Officer of the Total Ninja Group, Dorita Correia, says they saw a gap for experiences that speak to Gen Z's and they also wanted to offer active and social experiences that give kids a break from screens.
Story 1 category
Headline 2
Joburg annual Festival of Lights every Thursday to Sunday
Story 2
Johannesburg residents can enjoy the city's annual Festival of Lights every Thursday to Sunday from 7pm to 10 pm at the Joburg Zoo.
The annual showcase features thousands of dazzling lights, life-size illuminated animal displays and exciting entertainment, offering families a magical night-time experience and a standout holiday attraction.
The spokesperson for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Jenny Moodley says the Festival will continue until the 4th of January 2026:
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Story 2 category
Headline 3
Masikhule empowers ECD teachers
Story 3
To the Western Cape where Masikhule, a non-profit organisation, has expanded access to Early Childhood Development services in marginalised communities during 2025 by training educators and supporting ECD centres.
The organisation screened more than 100-children in February and again in November to track developmental progress.
Masikhule trained 10 ECD teachers this year, reaching 350-children through classroom instruction aligned with the South African National Curriculum Framework.
Teachers also used Masikhule’s MASKOT online platform, which provides structured lesson planning tools and 50 occupational therapy videos to support child development.
Story 3 category
Financial Indicators headline
Financial Indicators
Financial indicators
Your financial indicators for this hour:

The Rand is trading at 16.76 to the US Dollar, 0.00 to the British Pound, and 0.00 to the Euro.

Gold is trading at 4,328.57 dollars a fine ounce, Brent Crude Oil is at Error per barrel, and a Bitcoin will set you back 86,805.00.
Teaser / Tailpiece headline
FIFA annonces new cut-price ticket category for 2026 World Cup
Teaser / Tailpiece story
FIFA has announced a new cut-price ticket category for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The news comes after FIFA faced criticism from fan groups, who expressed their disappointment and frustration over the ticket prices, saying that they were unaffordable.
The world governing body changed its ticket prices, which were almost 500% higher than the 2022 Qatar tournament.
FIFA has now made available a number of supporter entry tier fixed tickets at around 1-thousand-rand for all 104 matches, including the final.
Split analysis
Local: 182 words (68%), National: 85 words (32%), International: 0 words (0%)