News 13:00

BULLETIN 9 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# The Malaka Family Trust denies Tebogo Malaka’s bribery scandal
# Eskom’s power system remains stable as the winter nears its end
# And environmental activists oppose the approval of a new Western Cape nuclear plant

# The Malaka Family Trust has defended Independent Development Trust CEO Tebogo Malaka amid bribery allegations. The trust says the 60-thousand-rand offered to Daily Maverick journalist, Pieter-Louis Myburgh, came from IDT spokesperson Phasha Makgolane, not Malaka. An exposé shows alleged attempts to bribe Myburgh amid investigations into IDT contracts and Malaka’s property dealings. Speaking to eNCA, the Trust spokesperson Ayanda Jele denied the allegations:

# More than one-thousand-200 women law enforcement officers are marching from Tshwane House to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to honor the 69th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women’s March against apartheid pass laws. This year’s Women’s Month theme, ‘Building Resilient Economies for All,’ calls for greater female representation and leadership in the economy. The officers also demand more women in high-ranking positions within law enforcement to promote equality and empowerment.

# Eskom says the power system continues to operate reliably, with no load-shedding since 15 May. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokoena says generation capacity stands at nearly 30-thousand-megawatts, enough to meet current demand. Unplanned outages have dropped to eleven-thousand-170-megawatta due to the Generation Recovery Plan. In a statement, Mokoena says the Energy Availability Factor has improved, and Eskom plans to return three-thousand-280-megawatts to service soon. She confirmed the utility’s confidence to meet the winter demand without load-shedding.

# Environmental activists Makoma Lekalakala of Earthlife Africa and Liziwe McDaid of Green Connection strongly oppose Environment minister Dion George’s approval of a new nuclear power plant at Duynefontein in the Western Cape. They cite high costs, safety risks, construction delays, and the absence of radioactive waste solutions. Lekalakala urges a people-driven energy plan focused on faster, cheaper renewable options like solar and wind amid the ongoing climate crisis:

# Soccer: The soccer transfer market is in full swing with clubs across Europe making moves to bolster their squads. Nearing completion is Benjamin Sesko’s transfer to Manchester United from RB Leipzig, with the striker reportedly set for a medical. Elsewhere, Liverpool are reportedly in talks to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle, while Arsenal are in the market for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. Chelsea is also making headlines, with a number of transfers being discussed, including a potential move for Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho.

# And finally: An Australian woman, who murdered three of her in-laws by feeding them a beef wellington laced with deadly mushrooms, also allegedly tried to poison her estranged husband. Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, told a pretrial hearing in October 2024 that he suspected she fed him poisoned food on several occasions. The evidence was never released publicly due to a gag order, which was lifted on Friday. A sentencing hearing is due to begin on 25 August. Patterson faces a potential life sentence for each of the murders and 25 years for attempted murder.

Stay tuned for more news………….