News 18:00

BULLETIN 11 June 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Parliament insists there are no delays in the Phala Phala impeachment process
# Julius Malema’s bid to overturn his firearm conviction faces state pushback
# And, Soccer, the FIFA president defends the handling of World Cup controversies, including visa issues

# Parliament says there are no delays in the Phala Phala impeachment process against president Cyril Ramaphosa. According to News24 National Assembly secretary Masibulele Xaso told members of Parliament the process is moving ahead as planned. The impeachment committee held its first meeting last week and elected Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana as chairperson. The Rules Committee has sent draft rules back for clarification on who can serve on the committee. Xaso maintains the process will continue unless a court rules otherwise.

# The trial of seven men accused of murdering rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes, and his friend Tebello Motsoane has been postponed in the High Court in Durban. The defence told the court it was not ready to proceed, citing outstanding legal documents and limited access to consult with clients at eBongweni Correctional Centre. State prosecutor Advocate Lawrence Gcaba said the prosecution was trial-ready with 45 witnesses on standby. The matter will return to court in September to resolve outstanding issues before trial proceedings continue.

# The state has rejected EFF leader Julius Malema’s bid to overturn his firearm conviction, calling his appeal without merit. The red berets leader is appealing his five-year sentence for charges linked to a 2018 incident where he was filmed allegedly firing a gun at a rally in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape. Malema maintains the weapon was a toy gun loaded with blanks. The High Court in Makhanda is set to decide whether Malema may proceed with his appeal.

# The Gauteng Department of Health is encouraging men and boys aged ten and older to make use of free Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision services available at public health facilities across the province during the winter season. The department spokesperson Steve Mabona says the procedure can reduce heterosexual HIV infection risk by about 60-percent and offers additional health benefits. He urges parents to ensure boys undergo circumcision in accredited medical facilities:

# Soccer: FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended his organisation’s handling of several controversies which overshadowed the build-up to the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. These include Somalian referee Omar Artan being denied entry to the US for allegedly having links with suspected terror organisations, Iran moving its training base from the US to Mexico, and the high cost of tickets. Infantino says people need to chill and relax:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 16-rand-47-cents against the rand and the euro at 18-rand-99-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-5-dollars. Gold sells at four-thousand-86-dollars-82-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 91-dollars-36-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….