News 11:00

BULLETIN 13 June 11 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Makashule Gana confirms receipt of court papers from president Ramaphosa’s lawyers seeking an impeachment halt
# The DA calls for stronger penalties as underage pregnancy concerns are raised to the Human Rights Commission
# And soccer: The USA thump Paraguay in the Group D opener

# The chairperson of the Section 89 Impeachment Committee, Makashule Gana, has confirmed receiving court papers from president Cyril Ramaphosa’s lawyers seeking to halt Parliament’s impeachment inquiry linked to the Phala Phala scandal. Ramaphosa filed an urgent application in the High Court in the Western Cape, arguing the process should be suspended while he challenges the Section 89 panel report. The report found prima facie evidence of possible constitutional violations. Gana says Parliament’s legal team is studying the papers. The matter will be discussed at the committee’s meeting on June 24.

# Eskom says improved power station performance and reduced unplanned outages are strengthening the country’s electricity supply as winter demand increases. The utility reported that its Energy Availability Factor has risen to 63.24-percent, up from 57.91-percent a year ago. Diesel spending has also fallen sharply, dropping by nearly 89-percent year-on-year to 615-million-rand. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena confirmed that South Africa has now recorded 392 consecutive days without load-shedding.

# The DA in Gauteng has clarified its complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission, alleging government departments are failing to report and investigate cases of suspected statutory rape linked to underage pregnancies. DA spokesperson Angel Khanyile says thousands of girls under 16 fall pregnant each year, yet few cases reach the criminal justice system. The party has called for an urgent investigation into the crisis:

# The Forum for South Africa says police must turn specialised deployments into arrests in the Cleveland mass shooting, where 12 people were killed. The forum states while additional forensic and tactical units show urgency, South Africans now expect results and not just police deployments. FOSA’s Tebogo Mashilompane says the case must not go cold, and justice must be delivered to the victims and their families:

# Soccer: The United States got off to a dream start as co-hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thrashing Group D rivals Paraguay 4-1 this morning. The Stars and Stripes hit four goals in a World Cup fixture for the first time. Folarin Balogun netted twice in the first half after an early own goal, with Gio Reyna taking a fourth deep in injury time at the end of the game. The teams will resume their Group D campaigns next weekend, with United States tackling Australia on Friday night, while Paraguay will face Turkey on Saturday morning.

# And cycling: Belgian rider Wout Van Aert retired from the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes yesterday with a persistent elbow injury a day after sprinting to victory in stage five. His Visma team says Van Aert could not start stage six because of significant discomfort in his elbow related to the crash he sustained last week. Van Aert won the Paris-Roubaix classic in April and is a key rider for Visma and Dane Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France from the 4th to the 26th of next month.

Stay tuned for more news………….