News 09:00

BULLETIN 22 June 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Iran retaliates after the US attack
# Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham are released from Equatorial Guinea
# And Eskom says diesel usage will decline as more units return to service

# Israel’s military says Iran has fired a fresh wave of missiles toward the country. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat and instructed the public to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.  The new wave of missiles is the first Iran has launched since the US announced it had attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister has condemned the strikes and warned they will have “everlasting consequences.” Abbas Araghchi said Iran “reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interests, and people.”

# The two South African engineers, who had been unlawfully detained in Equatorial Guinea since 9 February 2023, have been released and are safely home on South African soil. Their release follows a pardon from the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo. Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham were personally welcomed by the minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, when they arrived at the Lanseria Airport last night. Shaun Murphy, a spokesperson for the families, expressed their deepest appreciation to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes in securing their freedom:

# Eskom says diesel usage is expected to decline as more units return to service from long-term repairs and maintenance activities are reduced, increasing available generation capacity. Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena says year-to-date, the power utility spent approximately 4.51-billion-rand on fuel for the open cycle gas turbine fleet, generating 768.64-gigawatt hours. She says the diesel expenditure is still within budget for the current financial year:

# The Forum for South Africa says it is disturbed by the comments of Justice and Constitutional Development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi in defending and correcting the disclosure made by National Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Shamila Batohi. Forum leader, Tebogo Mashilompane, says Batohi’s allegations on the infiltration of the NPA hold water. He says, however, the minister choice of words was wrong and she must stop misleading the country:

# The GOOD Party is calling on school governing bodies, education departments, and communities to treat racism incidents at schools with the seriousness they deserve. The party says the latest incident of alleged racism at Bryandale Primary School in Bryanston is yet another painful reminder that South African schools still have a long way to go before genuine transformation and inclusion are achieved. GOOD chairperson, Matthew Cook, says silence or delay enables racism to fester:

# And motorsport: Marc Marquez continued his march towards a seventh elite world title by winning Saturday’s sprint race at the Italian MotoGP and extending his lead at the top of the championship. The Spanish great had to battle back from a disastrous start from pole position at Mugello to claim the full 12 points and move 35 points clear of his closest challenger, and brother Alex Marquez. The 32-year-old is already red-hot favourite to draw level with great rival Valentino Rossi on seven world crowns, and move one behind all-time record winner Giacomo Agostini.

Stay tuned for more news………….