Polity Audio Articles

Goldman sees room for South Africa asset rally on credit upgrade Markets are not pricing in the probability of South Africa's return to investment grade, leaving scope for government bonds, stocks and the rand to rally, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The country could regain its investment status as soon as 2028 as ratings companies reward its improving finances and economic growth, a Goldm...

IEC won't grant extensions after ANC claims 'technical glitch' in candidate registration The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has firmly clarified that no political party or independent candidate will be granted an extension to capture candidate details following the official close of nominations for the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE). The commission confirmed that the deadline strict...

DA declares ANC's 'comrade State' approach a sign of 'terminal decline' as local election race heats up The DA is taking a hard line against President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent campaign rhetoric, with DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis declaring that the ANC is entering a phase of "terminal decline" ahead of the November 4 local government elections. Hill-Lewis predicted a major political shift in the up...

Ramaphosa assures competitive overhaul will curb skyrocketing electricity costs President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday vowed to tackle the country's soaring electricity tariffs, acknowledging that the rising cost of power is inflicting severe financial hardship on families and crippling business competitiveness. Writing in his weekly newsletter to the nation, the President declared that South Africa...

IFP unveils Mkhuleko Hlengwa as eThekwini mayoral candidate The IFP has officially declared its readiness for the upcoming 2026 local government elections, announcing Mkhuleko Hlengwa as its mayoral candidate for the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Speaking at a media briefing, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa revealed that the party will deploy a "two-horns" campaign strategy in the strateg...

Independent investigation finds no diesel missing, but identifies governance lapses – Eskom An independent investigation, commissioned by State-owned power utility Eskom, into diesel procurement and storage contracts under Tender MWP2197GX found no evidence that diesel paid for by Eskom is missing. The investigation did, however, confirm instances of non-adherence to Eskom processes concerning pay...

DA leads R116m party donations as non-compliant ANC faces IEC penalties The DA has emerged as the largest beneficiary of political party donations this quarter, while the ANC has been flagged for non-compliance. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has published the political party donation disclosures for the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year. Covering April 1 to June 30, the repo...

Cachalia says decline in serious contact crimes, but GBV a challenge Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, on Friday, announced a downward trend in several of the country's most severe contact crimes during the release of the first-quarter crime statistics for the 2026/27 financial year. The data highlights a consecutive quarterly drop in murders alongside substantial reductions in highly feared,...

ANC welcomes failed no confidence motion against Didiza Following the failed motion of no confidence against National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, brought by the EFF, the ANC parliamentary caucus welcomed the vote outcome, characterising the EFF's motion as a "groundless attempt to disrupt parliamentary operations". The motion was rejected by 282 votes to 101, which the ANC said confirmed the Na...

GOOD Party appeals R90 000 Electoral Court fine over funding violations The GOOD Party has announced its intention to appeal an Electoral Court judgment which found the party and its leadership in breach of the Political Party Funding Act. The court ordered the party and its secretary-general Brett Herron to pay a combined fine of R90 000 for failing to comply with national electoral funding regul...

Dlamini-Zuma, Mbalula go head to head in court over vote-buying claims ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced she stands firmly by the substance of her concerns regarding financial corruption within internal party contests, as she confirmed that her legal representatives had on Tuesday filed a formal notice of intention to oppose ANC secretary-general Fik...

Hill-Lewis urges Cachalia to engage on investigative powers for metro police Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has expressed concern over what he says is a lack of engagement by Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia on the potential expansion of Cape Town Metro Police powers. Despite Cachalia's recent indication that he has an "open mind" on the matter, the City of Cape Town reports a month of si...

Lamola welcomes Dlamini-Zuma's retraction of vote-buying claims Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has welcomed a formal retraction by ANC veteran Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, of allegations linking him to illicit voice notes and vote-buying during internal party elections. The controversy erupted earlier this month following Dlamini-Zuma's appearance on the African Re...

ActionSA sues ANC's Maepa over alleged AI-faked claims ActionSA has launched coordinated actions against the ANC's Kgoši Maepa, lodging a formal complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and preparing criminal charges over an alleged disinformation campaign targeting Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya. The dispute stems from public allegations that Tlopo Construction, a company doing bu...

DA welcomes former FF+ caucus leader to its ranks The DA on Tuesday welcomed to its ranks former Freedom Front Plus (FF+) Tshwane Caucus Leader Grandi Theunissen, a move that DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said bodes well for the blue party. Theunissen, a former FF+ regional chairperson for Tshwane, said he hopes to make a positive contribution to the DA and to the metro. "As I said,...

Parly flags R300m shortfall at Home Affairs following spike in deportations The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has raised serious concerns over a R341-million financial shortfall facing the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), following intense anti-illegal-immigration protests on June 30 and a subsequent surge in immigration enforcement, deportations and repatriations. With its ye...

CDE report says Joburg budget is 'disconnected from reality', with water failures biggest risk With unpaid bills owed to the City of Johannesburg rising from about R15-billion in 2014/15 to nearly R72-billion in 2024/25, the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) cautions that the City's budget is "increasingly disconnected from reality". In the second issue of the independent think tank's ne...

Oversight tightens as McKenzie faces Parly committee grilling Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie will face an intense parliamentary committee on Tuesday as opposition parties gear up to demand accountability over a multimillion-rand overseas trip and allegations of political patronage in board appointments. McKenzie is scheduled to appear before the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts...

Business, govt unanimous on economic growth plan, jobs target The Presidency and business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) have united behind the plan, announced last week, to lift economic growth above 3% a year and contribute towards the creation of one-million new jobs by 2030, with both social partners agreeing that the focus must now shift from fixing the economy's structu...

ANC says it has learnt from past mistakes as it vows 'capable' municipal leadership ahead of elections The ANC has the capacity to lead municipalities effectively following a rigorous selection process for its local government election candidates, the party has promised. Speaking on Monday, a day after the launch of its election manifesto, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula emphasised that party...

Border security top of SA-Zim BNC agenda as Ramaphosa hosts Mnangagwa President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for deeper bilateral cooperation between South Africa and Zimbabwe, urging both nations to modernise respective border systems, tackle trans-border crime, and correct a "massive" trade imbalance. Speaking at the fourth session of the South Africa–Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC) at the O...

NPA drops corruption charges against top crime intelligence bosses amid Madlanga Commission revelations The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) has formally withdrawn all corruption charges against the Divisional Commissioner of Crime Intelligence Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo, and six other high-ranking police officials. The legal turnaround follows a direct intervention by...

ANC lays criminal charges against coalition partner's Mark Burke The ANC said on Friday it has pursued criminal charges against DA MP Dr Mark Burke, as well as the fintech company Kastelo, following a South African Reserve Bank (SARB) investigation into Kastelo, with which Burke is linked. On Wednesday, the DA removed Burke from Parliament's finance committee and stripped him of his title as the p...

Parly champions coordinated regional strategy for migration governance, expansion of legislative dialogue Parliament must move beyond reactive measures and lead the charge in building robust governance systems, driving evidence-based policies, and leveraging parliamentary diplomacy to address the complex realities of continental migration. This according to Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Int...

DA wants Parly hearing after scathing SCA ruling on Kusile pollution The DA has requested an urgent joint oversight hearing in Parliament following a landmark Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment regarding ongoing pollution at Eskom's Kusile power station. The party describes the ruling as a damning indictment of the power utility and the regulatory bodies tasked with monitoring it. The SCA over...