The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for policy changes to bring about change to the country's current Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policies of the ANC.
On Monday, the party slammed the current policies, which it said only benefitted a few politically-connected individuals.
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The president's acted on a resolution taken by the National Assembly in May after a revision of the limit and the threshold for declaring donations by Parliament’s home affairs committee.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially raised the limit for private donations to political parties to R30 million a year.
He's acted on a resolution taken by the National Assembly in May after a revision of the limit and the threshold for declaring donations by Parliament’s home affairs committee.
Like the donation limit, the declaration threshold has also been doubled to R200,000.
After removing the R15 million donation limit private donors could make to political parties and independent candidates just before last year's May elections, the Western Cape High Court forced Parliament to reinstate the limit in August last year and for political parties to backdate their declarations to the Electoral Commission until a new limit was set.
The original limits were set in 2018 when the National Assembly passed the Political Party Funding Act.
In a proclamation published in the government gazette, President Ramaphosa has now determined the new donation limit to be R30 million.
All donations more than R200,000 will now also have to be declared.
Speaking in the Western Cape last week, the IEC's manager for political funding, George Mahlangu said no party would be off the hook in declaring its donations, and even if below the declaration threshold, parties are expected to record these in their annual financial statements.
High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to India, Professor Anil Sooklal says Indian business is keen on investing in South Africa.
Trade, Industry, and Competition minister, Parks Tau, is set to lead a delegation to Mumbai and Delhi from August 25 to 29, at the invitation of Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal.
The visit's objective is to strengthen trade relations and deepen economic ties between South Africa and India, while also exploring new markets.
Tau is also scheduled to attend and speak at the 20th India-Africa Conclave.
South Africa's economy is under severe pressure due to a 30% US tariff on its exports and existing domestic protectionism, stifling competition and this dual challenge puts jobs, economic growth, and investment at risk. However, Tau and the Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen recently indicated that they are exploring alternative trade partners to mitigate these impacts.
According to the High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, the relationship with India is not so much about alternatives but also to diversify, so the nation does not rely on one or two trade partners.
He said this diversification was crucial, especially in light of the recent tariff hikes imposed by the US on South African exports.
Sooklal emphasised that "India can ease the US tariff saga" and that Indian businesses are keen on investing in South Africa, seeing it as an entry point to sub-Saharan Africa.
India is currently South Africa's fourth-largest trading partner and fourth-largest consumer market. With India expected to become the second-largest consumer market by 2030, the potential for trade growth between the two countries is significant.
Sooklal noted that "trade with India can only grow," and the visit would provide an opportunity for South African businesses to tap into the Indian economy.
During the visit, Tau and his delegation will focus on several key sectors, including exploring opportunities for collaboration and investment in the mining and minerals sector while strengthening ties in manufacturing, particularly in areas like automotive and pharmaceuticals.
Sooklal said the minister would also identify opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector, enhancing trade and investment in agriculture, promoting tourism between South Africa and India and collaborating on pharmaceutical production and trade.
Tau will participate in the 20th edition of the India-Africa Conclave, where he will be a speaker at the opening plenary.
The conclave provides a platform for Africa and India to engage on trade and economic issues, with over 30 countries confirmed to attend.
Sooklal highlighted that the conclave is a "well-established forum" that will facilitate interaction between South African and Indian businesses.
During the visit, Tau will also hold bilateral meetings with Indian businesses to further strengthen trade relations between the two countries.
“These meetings will provide opportunities for South African companies to explore new markets and partnerships in India…The visit is expected to yield significant economic benefits for South Africa.
“Indian businesses have already invested heavily in South Africa, with companies like Vedanta, Zinc International and Pepsico operating in the country. Pepsico South Africa now has five factories, while Mahindra South Africa recently inaugurated a new vehicle assembly facility in KwaZulu-Natal…Vedanta employs over 6,000 people,” Sooklal said.
"Minister Tau's visit to India is a strategic move to strengthen trade relations between South Africa and India, exploring new markets and deepening economic ties. With India poised to become an increasingly important player in the global economy, this visit is timely and crucial for South Africa's economic growth and development," said Sooklal.
DTIC spokesperson Kaamil Alli did not respond to questions as to who Tau would be taking to India as part of his delegation.
Last week, a press briefing on the US tariff hikes confirmed that South Africa plans to diversify its trade agreements beyond the United States.
The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Sello Seitlholo, says they will lay more criminal charges against the Ngaka Modiri Molema District municipality in the North West for contaminating water resources.
He said this after an oversight visit to a wastewater treatment plant and the Molopo River in Mahikeng.
There have been increasing complaints about dysfunctional wastewater treatment plants and sewage spillage in some areas around the North West capital.
Seitlholo was visibly irritated that the waste treatment plant was discharging raw sewage into the Molopo River.
“It is the same action, we are already in the process now, we have already opened a criminal case it is on the Mmabatho wastewater treatment works because outside of this Mahikeng waste treatment water works Mmabatho is completely non-functional, it is not operating at all, so it means their discharge is of raw sewerage that is untreated.”
He says they are also amending the National Water Act, with the aim of introducing liability costs for high-ranking municipal officials, including mayors.
“We are introducing personal liability costs to the Mayor, to the MM and technical directors in the municipality because at this point in time when you take the municipality to court and the high court find them guilty to say you must pay the fine of R150 million and you are given 60 days to submit corrective action plans the reality is that money is born out of the rates that are being paid by municipalities on equitable shares”
The Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality’s Thembinkosi Mabovu acknowledged they are struggling to maintain the deteriorating water and sanitation infrastructure.
“Our infrastructure is old. If you check the entire municipality, the entire district the infrastructure is old, some 50 years. The lifespan has passed and then we really need funding to deal with our old infrastructure.”
The Department of Water and Sanitation has committed to finding ways to assist the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in its water and sanitation challenges.
South African banks accused of manipulating the rand are set to present their case to the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.
They plan to outline the financial and reputational damage caused by the Competition Commission’s allegations of being part of a “banking cartel”.
In January last year, the Competition Appeal Court reviewed the matter against 28 banks, dismissing the case against most of them.
Despite the Competition Appeal Court’s dismissing most of the claims, the case is now being taken to the Constitutional Court.
The institutions approaching the court include FirstRand and Standard Bank, among others.
Their legal teams will spend the next four days arguing that some of the evidence presented, including conversations spanning over seven years, is too weak to substantiate a single, overarching conspiracy.
The North West Legislature Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Human Settlements has questioned the 2-year contract extension of the North West Housing Corporation (NWHC) CEO, Sello Mogodiri.
The provincial Department of Human Settlements informed the committee during an oversight meeting that Mogodiri’s contract, which ended in July, has been extended.
Mogodiri was appointed as the CEO in August 2020 and has been lashed by different political parties in the province for his controversial Smart and Mega City R74.3 billion project plan.
The bone of contention was the 2-year contract extension of Mogodiri.
The extension comes amidst the portfolio committee’s call for the suspension of the CEO and the halt of all Mega and Smart City projects.
After a failed R250 000 event at Lokaleng village, outside Mahikeng and allegations that entity was pushing forward with developments on disputed land.
Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements Kgalalelo Makgokgowa and Democratic Alliance (DA) member of the legislature CJ Steyl voiced their concerns.
“I was worried about the legal implications because under normal circumstances you were to extend for someone who’s been a substantive CEO, you would usually go for six months for just preparation, for the handover to the next incumbent. Two years seems a bit steep,” says Makgokgowa.
“Quite shocking news considering the road we’ve been walking with the housing corporation over the last year. One would have considered that an extension can be made on six months, three months. You know when a contract comes to its natural end, there is no legal requirements to justify extending that contract or not because there’s a start date, there’s an end date,” says Steyl.
Steyl accused the entity of tying the CEO to projects
“The other issue that was raised is that the CEO had initiated certain projects and that it would be unfair or disadvantages to the entity should the contract be ended and that would negatively impact those projects. That in itself chairperson is a serious consequence that a project of an entity is tied to, directly linked, its success and the outcome, to the accounting officer,” he says.
MEC for Human Settlements Gaoage Molapisi defended their decision to extend the contract
“I want honorouble Steyl to tell me which law says that you must bring issues if the advert or whatever before this committee. Where in law does it say that before we process we must come before this committee. There’s no such a thing, so let’s not make wrong assumptions here. Now, you say there’s a house resolution to discipline and suspend the CEO, where’re that? So you can’t question us when we’ve taken a decision to extend for two years, because you would have preferred us to extend for six months,” she says.
The interim board’s term of office is coming to an end next month.
Board Chairperson Dr Manketse Tlhape argues that they needed Mogodiri, who was initially running the ship alone.
“The interim board came in April and we found the contract of the CEO was just about to expire. It was expiring 13th July. So, as in when we trying to find our feet, we had the Auditor-General also coming for audits. We did not have any much information about the institution. We looked for the legal advice also in that regard to say how do we deal with that because we had no option but to extend. Remember that as in entity we did not have a board for two years. He was the accounting officer he was the accounting authority,” she says.
MEC Molapisi says that the CEO’s departure would have collapsed the entity
“There has been some bit of instability in the entity itself. The term of the CEO was coming to an end or came to an end in July. We have extended contract of the CEO. The CEO had requested initially that the contract be extended for a period of five years. The MEC could not approve this. There are quite a number of things that were are busy dealing with and had you allowed the departure of the CEO. The coming to an end of the interim board we were going to collapse the entity and all the initiative that we have put in place,” says Molapisi.
The DA alleges that the contract was extended without considering the CEO’s concerning performance at the NWHC.
“It might be that you can consider extending a contract based on exception of good performance but then the submissions from the chairperson was that they couldn’t assess because performance appraisal has been done they couldn’t assess the performance of the CEO. How is that justification because the reports that we’ve been receiving in this committee is that there wasn’t any performance?” asks Steyl.
The DA, which has vehemently rejected the extension, says it will request a full report in the legislature.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) wants Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille to urgently account to Parliament following the precautionary suspension of South African Tourism CEO, Nombulelo Guliwe.
The party says De Lille’s decision to attack the Board’s decision will scapegoat Guliwe.
De Lille says, according to legal advice, only the Chairperson of the Board can call a Board meeting, and SA Tourism currently has no Board Chairperson.
DA MP Haseena Ismail says, “Instead of focusing on the allegations against the CEO, the Minister is fixated on whether the board had the authority to suspend her without a chairperson. However, it cannot be that the Minister attacks the board while giving no attention to the serious allegations against the CEO.
Meanwhile, Ministerial Spokesperson, Aldrin Sampear, says, “The Minister has written to the board to give reasons on why they believe the board should not be dissolved. The submissions have now been received, and the Minister is currently looking at those. The Minister will also be convening the sector and speaking to them about the developments that have taken place at South African Tourism.”
