News 07:00

BULLETIN 11 April 7 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa denies involvement in Ipid’s Phala Plala report
# The FF Plus says the water losses in Mangaung exceed 1.6-billion-rand
# And the South African Airways CEO, John Lamola, steps down

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied involvement in the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s declassified report on the ten-million-rand theft in his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. Ramaphosa declined to comment in detail as the report recommends disciplinary action against Major General Wally Rhoode over alleged irregularities in handling the case. IPID says police procedures were bypassed in an off-the-books recovery operation. The president says the process should be allowed to unfold:

Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement is calling for the immediate initiation of impeachment proceedings against  Ramaphosa.  ATM argues the report raises serious concerns of executive misconduct, constitutional breaches, and possible criminal wrongdoing linked to the 2020 farm burglary. The party also claims that the report points to the concealment of a crime, the misuse of state resources, and the failure to open a formal criminal case.

# President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is entering the next phase of electricity sector reform aimed at modernising the power system and attracting more investment. In his keynote address at Kusile power station in Mpumalanga, Ramaphosa said Eskom will remain central to ensuring a stable electricity supply while the sector is opened to greater competition. He added that reforms are intended to strengthen energy security, support economic growth, and reduce electricity costs over time:

# The Freedom Front Plus says the Mangaung municipality in the Free State has lost more than two-billion-rand worth of water over the past five years. According to the party, the losses are largely due to leaking infrastructure and decades of poor maintenance, with annual losses rising sharply in recent years. The FF Plus’s Armand Cloete says the municipality owes Vaal Central Water over 900-million rand. Cloete blames poor governance and calls for better financial management and improved service delivery.

# South African Airways CEO John Lamola has resigned with effect from the end of this month. News24 reports that Air Chefs CEO Matshela Seshibe will act as CEO in the meantime. The airline says three board members have also stepped down for varying reasons. Transport minister Barbara Creecy and the SAA board have thanked Lamola for his leadership, as he helped stabilise operations and expand the fleet and route network during the airline’s recovery phase. A recruitment process for a permanent CEO is now underway.

# Motorsport: Speculation increased over four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen’s Formula One future after his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, announced his departure for McLaren in 2028. The Dutch driver and the British-Italian engineer have worked together since Verstappen joined Red Bull 10 years ago. The driver hinted during last month’s race in Japan that he is ready to quit F1. He is currently ninth in the drivers’ standings with just 12 points from the season’s opening three races.

Stay tuned for more news………….