News Bulletin of 21 December 2025, 9am

SA Creators Get a Taste of AI’s Future
Africa’s first Digital Twin and AI Creator Enablement Workshop recently took place in Woodmead. The event brought together over 20 award-winning South African digital creators with a combined reach of more than 15 million followers. The session introduced creators to AI-powered digital versions of themselves. This helped them scale content, streamline their work, and explore new ways to earn—without losing what makes them authentic. The workshop marked a big step forward for Africa’s creative economy.
Sandton and Gauteng
Free Wi-Fi for Taxi Commuters
Randburg taxi rank commuters now have access to free Wi-Fi, thanks to a new initiative by Sebenza and SANTACO. The free service, available in minibus taxis, aims to connect 50,000 taxis over the next two years, providing passengers with internet access for work, study, and small business needs. Minister of Communications Solly Malatsi emphasized that digital inclusion enables economic participation.Sebenza has reported a rise in in-taxi Wi-Fi usage, with 7 million users in 2025, and commuters spending 10-15 minutes online per trip.

Sandton and Gauteng
Mystery Donor Spreads Holiday Cheer
In a remarkable act of festive generosity, an anonymous Good Samaritan paid off 132 thousand 500 rand in outstanding lay-bys at a PEP store in Aberdeen, Eastern Cape. According to reports this person helped 260 families collect essential items just in time for the holiday season. Pep says the donor quietly approached the store to inquire about unpaid lay-by accounts. The total outstanding balance, linked to goods such as school supplies, baby clothing and other everyday necessities, was then settled in full.
South Africa
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 0.00 dollars a fine ounce, Brent Crude Oil is at Error per barrel, and a Bitcoin will set you back 88,094.00.
Battery Storage Boom Powers Clean Energy
Big batteries are playing a growing role as countries switch to renewable energy. Battery storage helps keep the lights on when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, making clean energy more reliable day and night. The surge is largely thanks to much cheaper lithium-ion batteries, with costs dropping about 90% over the past 15 years. China leads global battery production, while the US, Europe, and India are quickly catching up. Worldwide energy storage is set to hit a new record this year, with China and the US driving most of the growth and even bigger gains expected in the years ahead.

Local: 156 words (66%), National: 79 words (34%), International: 0 words (0%)