Polity Audio Articles

ActionSA, DA demand systemic overhaul after Johnson, Khan arrests The high-profile arrests of former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Andrea Johnson and former Crime Intelligence deputy head Major-General Feroz Khan on Friday sparked intense political reactions, with opposition parties declaring the developments a "definitive exposure of systemic vulnerabilities" in South A...

Cachalia seeks Cabinet approval to appoint Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as new Hawks head Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has initiated the formal process to appoint KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi as the new National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, widely known as the Hawks. The Police Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Cac...

GOOD, RISE Mzansi carve up Gauteng, W Cape to fight fragmentation As South Africa prepares for the November Local Government Elections, Polity is engaging with political parties contesting the elections in a series of interviews to examine their manifestos, policy priorities and plans for local government. In a major strategic alignment ahead of the November 4 local government elections, GOOD part...

South Africa economy estimated to be 4.9% bigger after rebasing South Africa's economy was estimated to be 4.9% larger than previously reported after a benchmarking and rebasing exercise, the statistics agency said on Thursday. Statistics South Africa said the exercise raised the size of the economy in 2022 to R6.99-trillion from a previously published estimate of R6.67-trillion. The agency said i...

AI, ultra-cheap disinformation threatens voter trust – experts As South Africa prepares for the highly anticipated local government elections, the intersection of AI, political campaigning, and digital disinformation has triggered intense national scrutiny. At a recent high-level roundtable focused on combating fake news, public officials and independent fact-checkers converged to sound the alarm...

South Africa risks return to money-laundering grey list South Africa faces a significant risk of returning to the Financial Action Task Force's grey list barely a year after it secured removal, according to the latest quarterly assessment from business lobby group Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA). The FATF grey list names countries under increased monitoring for weaknesses in fighting money...

RISE Mzansi, GOOD to merge at 'earliest opportunity', as Zibi punts systemic change in final election push As South Africa prepares for the November Local Government Elections, Polity is engaging with political parties contesting the elections in a series of interviews to examine their manifestos, policy priorities and plans for local government. As political parties make their final pledges for c...

Ramaphosa receives final report on Iran's participation in naval exercise President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially received the final report from the independent panel appointed to investigate naval drills known as "Exercise MOSI III: Will of Peace." The Presidency confirmed that the panel, chaired by retired Justice Bernard Ngoepe, concluded its probe into how Iran's navy participated in the join...

Hill-Lewis warns against 'coalition chaos', urges Capetonians to secure DA majority Ahead of next week's highly anticipated local government elections, DA leader and Cape Town mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis has issued a strong warning to residents against splitting their votes, urging them to keep "coalition chaos" out of the city by voting for the DA. Speaking at a campaign announcement in...

Ramaphosa deploys army to KZN to curb anti-immigrant violence President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 510 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) under Operation Prosper. The temporary deployment comes in response to recent outbreaks of public violence and planned anti-immigrant marches...

EFF, Ramaphosa congratulate Brazil's Lula on fourth term President Cyril Ramaphosa and the EFF have extended congratulations to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following his election comeback on Sunday, securing a historic fourth term. The win has been hailed by the EFF and Ramaphosa as a defining moment for democracy, the Global South, and the ongoing fight against global inequality...

Ramaphosa credits SARS recovery with boosting public finances, funding social wage President Cyril Ramaphosa has credited the post-State capture recovery of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) with driving improved tax collection rates, which in turn are funding critical social and developmental programmes across the country. Writing in his weekly newsletter to the nation, Ramaphosa emphasise...

Moody's says South Africa's budget update is credit positive Moody's Ratings said in a report released on Monday that South Africa's medium-term budget policy statement was positive for the country's credit profile, citing tighter monetary policy, continued fiscal consolidation despite higher oil prices, and weaker nominal GDP growth than assumed in February. Moody's rates South Africa Ba2 with a...

ANC orders Gwede Mantashe to apologise over sexist remarks

MKP removes SG over communication, administrative breakdowns The MKP has relieved its secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo of his duties, appointing Lindiwe Mtshali as the acting secretary-general, effective Thursday. According to a party statement, the decision stems from a series of administrative and communication failures that bypassed the party's top leadership. The party said several critical...

BOSA envisions merit-based governance, professionalism to rescue collapsing metros As South Africa prepares for the November Local Government Elections, Polity is engaging with political parties contesting the elections in a series of interviews to examine their manifestos, policy priorities and plans for local government. Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has laid out a stringent...

Ramaphosa urges business to prioritise youth potential over experience President Cyril Ramaphosa has made a direct appeal to the South African business community to fundamentally change their recruitment habits, urging employers to stop treating a lack of work experience as a lack of capability. Speaking in Johannesburg on Thursday at the SA National Leadership Convening on Youth Employment, the P...

Industry, civil society, academia welcome Treasury's fiscal discipline amid weak growth Business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) views the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) as proof that government's fiscal discipline is working. The organisation has welcomed the National Treasury's ensuring that South Africa's government debt decreased despite the US-Israel con...

'Better to under-promise, over-deliver' – ActionSA shifts strategy for local elections As South Africa prepares for the November Local Government Elections, Polity is engaging with political parties contesting the elections in a series of interviews to examine their manifestos, policy priorities and plans for local government. ActionSA will contest only 42 municipalities nationwide in the upcoming...

South African inflation rises modestly but bigger fuel-driven jump seen in October South Africa's inflation rate rose modestly in September, data showed on Wednesday, but economists expect a sharper acceleration in October after fuel prices hit a record high. Headline consumer inflation ticked up to 4.5% year-on-year in September from 4.4% in August, moving further away from the central bank's 3%...

R10bn in temporary fuel-levy relief announced amid record fuel prices Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced another round of temporary reductions to the fuel levy in response to a surge in fuel prices to record levels, following global disruptions to supply that have arisen after the US and Israel declared war on Iran earlier in the year. The fuel levy for diesel will be reduced by R3 a litr...

National Treasury lowers 2026 growth outlook to 1.2% warns of elevated risks The National Treasury has lowered its growth outlook for 2026 to 1.2% from its 1.6% forecast outlined in the February Budget. In 2025, South Africa achieved growth of 1.1%, once again falling short of levels required to reduce unemployment and poverty. Growth is expected to reach 1.6% in 2027 and rise to 2% by 2029, which...

South Africa must prepare for potential loss of US trade benefits, Ramaphosa says President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that the country must prepare for its potential exclusion from the United States' duty-free trade initiative, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), as relations between Washington and Pretoria have soured. AGOA gives eligible African countries duty-free access to the...

BofA, BNP see South Africa rating upgrade after budget South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to signal the country's commitment to fiscal discipline on Wednesday, with its debt-to-GDP ratio set to decline for the first time in more than two decades — potentially paving the way for a credit-rating upgrade as soon as next month. Four of 11 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, incl...

Structural, financial deficiencies in metros actively restricting economic growth – City Risk Monitor South Africa's major municipalities are facing severe financial pressure, driven by an inability to manage debt, crumbling infrastructure, and a crippling lack of long-term administrative planning. This is according to Independent Consultancy, the Paternoster Group's City Risk Monitor, which recen...