Polity Audio Articles

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...

S Africa targets 1.3m unregistered children with early childhood development reforms Government is hosting the second Bana Pele Leadership Summit in Gauteng this week, underscoring its commitment to expanding early childhood learning as a critical development priority and a vital tool to redress historical inequalities. In his weekly letter to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised that...

South Africa on path to investment-grade rating, Investec says South Africa stands a good chance of regaining its investment-grade credit rating within two years and next week's mid-term budget could take another step toward that goal, according to Investec Wealth & Investment International. The fund manager sees a more than 50% chance the country will restore its investment grade rating by 2028,...

South Africa set for brighter fiscal outlook in Wednesday's mid-term budget South Africa's finance minister is expected to present an improved fiscal outlook in his mid-term budget on Wednesday, with a revenue windfall bolstering a push to regain an investment-grade credit rating. But record fuel prices, weak growth and pressure to spend ahead of November 4 local government elections could limit h...

Kganyago says rand resilience cushioning South Africa from shock South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said the rand has held up well despite the shock caused by the Iran war, reflecting more confidence in the country's economic outlook. "Rand resilience has cushioned, but not shielded us from the shock," Kganyago told Bloomberg TV on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund...

Ramaphosa reinstates suspended police chief South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday he was reinstating the country's police chief, six months after he was suspended over charges he broke public finance rules in the irregular awarding of a tender. Fannie Masemola, national commissioner of the South African Police Service since 2022, will resume his duties on Monday after prosecutors...

ANC calls for mobilisation, unity following landmark ConCourt ruling in IEC candidate nominations case The ANC has launched a powerful call to action, urging all party structures, leagues, and alliance partners to close ranks for a "decisive victory" in the upcoming local government elections. With the election just 19 days away, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula directed provinces, national st...

NPA denies issuing arrest warrants for March and March leaders The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has categorically denied issuing warrants of arrest against advocacy group March and March Movement leader Jacinta Ngobese Zuma and her husband Xolani Zuma. The NPA issued an official statement on Thursday, directly dismissing assertions made by the group. This follows a statement released by th...

South Africa's central bank governor Kganyago sees upside risks to inflation Rising global energy prices and food costs continue to pose upside risks to inflation in South Africa, the central bank head said on Thursday, with consumer prices expected to return to the 3% target only in 2028. Speaking to Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual...

ConCourt rules in favour of ANC over candidate lists, DA raises 'serious precedent concerns' The ANC has won its case against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which must now include all the party's candidate lists on the ballot for the local government election. Last month, the ANC claimed that the IEC's candidate-capture system experienced technical disruptions on the final submission...

Mashatile warns of 'new generation of challenges' as AI, unemployment impact S African workers Deputy President Paul Mashatile declared on Wednesday that while South Africa celebrates its progress in overcoming apartheid, the country and the global stage now face a "new generation of challenges". Speaking at the eighth national congress of the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa), Mashati...

Moody's says South Africa is on right track for rating upgrade South Africa is heading in the right direction for its first credit-rating upgrade by Moody's Ratings since 2009, provided the country's fiscal performance continues to improve. The agency, which rates South Africa Ba2 — two notches below investment grade — revised South Africa's credit outlook to positive from stable in May. It says t...

Judge us on what we have done, DA says as it eyes majority win in election 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. The DA is feeling positive ahead of the November local government election, with na...