News 13:00

BULLETIN 8 August 1 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Mmamoloko Kubayi denies interfering in TRC cases
# Eskom reports six-year high in energy availability
# And athletics, Jan-Hendrik Heymans wins a first gold for South Africa at the World U-20 Championships

# Justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says she has never attempted to stop investigations or prosecutions involving Truth and Reconciliation Commission cases. Testifying before the TRC Cases Inquiry yesterday, Kubayi stressed the independence of the National Prosecuting Authority, saying prosecutorial decisions rest solely with the National Director of Public Prosecutions. She says her role is limited to oversight and accountability, including reporting to Parliament:

# AfriForum’s Ernst van Zyl says prolonged uncertainty over property rights continues to undermine investor confidence and harm South Africa’s economy. His comments follow the Western Cape High Court postponement of the constitutional challenge to the Expropriation Act after some legal teams had no opportunity to present their arguments. Van Zyl argues that key sections of the Act permitting expropriation without compensation are unconstitutional:

# Eskom year-to-date Energy Availability Factor has reached 67.24-percent, the strongest financial year-to-date performance in six-years. The utility says unplanned outages have fallen by 28.3-percent year-on-year, while diesel expenditure dropped by more than 83-percent. Eskom says demand has been met with no load-shedding recorded for 448 consecutive days. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says six provinces are free of load-reduction, while the utility remains on track to eliminate it nationwide by 2027.

# Athletics: Jan-Hendrik Heymans clinched gold in the men’s javelin final at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships at the Mayfield stadium in Oregon in the US with a massive personal best of 80.50-metres. Other South Africans also starred on the global stage. Jaco van Dyk secured a bronze medal in the men’s shot put with a 19.80-metre throw, while Marko Ferreira grabbed another bronze in the men’s 100-metre sprint, crossing the line in 10.16 seconds.

# Soccer: It is crunch time for Banyana Banyana as they play a must-win match against hosts Morocco in a crucial Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat at 10pm. A victory would send South Africa secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and semi-finals. Coach Desiree Ellis says the match is also a rematch of the 2022 WAFCON final:

# And finally tennis: American Ben Shelton has strengthened his title defence at the Open in Montreal, reaching the fourth round with a victory in straight sets over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. The fifth seed won 6-3, 6-2 and is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament. Shelton delivered a superb serving performance, winning all 16 of his service points in the second set. The 23-year-old defending champion has also secured back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 victories for the first time this season and will next face Casper Ruud or Joao Fonseca.

Stay tuned for more news………….