Polity Audio Articles

South African food inflation rose in August, ending six months of decline South African food and non-alcoholic beverage (NAB) inflation (hereafter to be referred to simply as food inflation, for short) rose in both year-on-year and month-on-month terms in August, the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) has reported, in its latest Food Inflation Brief. In year-on-year terms, food inflati...

ActionSA welcomes IEC opposition to 'hypocritical' DA electoral court challenge ActionSA has welcomed the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) answering affidavit opposing an urgent DA Electoral Court challenge, arguing that it would disrupt the entire election process. ActionSA believes the filing affirms that the DA's application is "opportunistic, hypocritical, and frivolous...

New report shows housing, energy stalled despite GNU's upward trajectory, but no promises broken As South Africa's Government of National Unity (GNU) enters its third year, its central challenge has fundamentally shifted, with the initial phase of articulating new policies over and the focus now resting entirely on executing existing promises. According to the latest South Africa Citizens Watch (S...

South Africa summons US ambassador again over 'undiplomatic conduct', official says South Africa's foreign affairs ministry called in US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III on Tuesday for a third time over what it described as "undiplomatic conduct," a senior government official told Reuters, but did not elaborate on what the conduct was. "We can confirm that we demarched Ambassador Bozell. The third...

Parties criticise Ramaphosa's 'delayed response' to Ekurhuleni femicide crisis Opposition parties and civil rights organisations have criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent national address on gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), calling his proposed measures "belated, repetitive, and detached" from the realities faced by women. The backlash follows intense public outrage surrounding...

South Africa's foreign direct investment inflows pick up in the second quarter South Africa recorded foreign direct investment inflows of R49.8-billion in the second quarter, up from R20.3-billion in the previous quarter, the central bank said on Tuesday. The South African Reserve Bank said in its Quarterly Bulletin that the higher inflows were due to a local telecommunications company receiving d...

Ramaphosa to address nation on Ekurhuleni murders, GBVF President Cyril Ramaphosa will this evening address the country on steps being taken by government to confront the country's gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) crisis. The President's 19:00 address follows a horrifying wave of violence in and around the City of Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, where the bodies of 11 women were discove...

US Ambassador declares diplomacy 'useless' as relations with S Africa on edge Relations between the US and South Africa have reached a critical low point following a scathing assessment by US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III, who accused the South African government of actively rejecting a constructive relationship with Washington. The diplomatic fallout follows the September 15 announcement by US...

Parties call for urgent action after weekend's mass shootings South Africa is reeling from an unprecedented weekend of trauma as horrific mass shootings across the country have left at least 27 people dead and dozens more injured in targeted tavern attacks. The staggering carnage has sparked fierce national social and political outrage, putting intense pressure on government and the South African...

White Cross Project turns to Union Buildings after Washington vigil Following what it describes a success of its White Cross Project in the US, Afrikaner group Lex Libertas announced it aims to bring the same demonstration to South Africa in a set it up on the lawns of the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The organisation is scheduled to meet with White House representatives on Monday to discuss the n...

Ramaphosa challenges S Africans to defend national identity amid violence, division President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a reminder to the nation on Monday that heritage is not only a cause for celebration but a critical battleground that citizens must actively defend, as he stressed that South Africans cannot allow gender-based violence, xenophobia and racial division to define the country's characte...

South Africa's Transnet begins process to expand manganese export capacity South Africa's State-owned logistics operator Transnet said on Friday it has started the process of picking a private sector partner to develop and operate a new manganese export terminal for 25 years, as it seeks to expand the mineral's export capacity by 20%. South Africa is the world's top manganese exporter, having ship...

GOOD challenges Zille's Joburg Mayoral bid and DA's electoral court action Ahead of the November 4 local government election, and after filing an answering affidavit opposing the DA's application in the Electoral Court to declare its candidate list unlawful, the GOOD party is also questioning Helen Zille's residency in Johannesburg as she plans to contest the mayoralship for the DA in the city. Th...

Eskom board chair reappointed after turnaround in power supply South Africa's government has reappointed State utility Eskom's board chairperson Mteto Nyati, for another three years after a sharp improvement in power availability under his tenure, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said on Friday. Nyati was appointed chair in 2023, when Eskom was implementing near-daily power outages that...

MVC asks parties to make coalition plans public before elections Political parties have until 17:00 on October 5 to respond to nongovernmental organisation My Vote Counts (MVC) and outline their plans for coalition negotiations before the local government elections on November 4. MVC argues that voters should have this information before casting their ballot, citing Section 19 of the Constitution,...

IEC demands parties restore public trust at 2026 electoral code signing In what is being described as the most challenging political environment in South Africa's democratic history, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Mosotho Moepya declared on Wednesday that the signing of the electoral code of conduct is a "sacrosanct ingredient" to ensuring the integrity of the upcoming 2026 loc...

South Africa's central bank raises main interest rate to 7.25% South Africa's central bank raised its key interest rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 7.25% on Wednesday, saying it wanted to steer inflation towards its 3% target. The decision by policymakers at the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) was unanimous. The majority of economists polled by Reuters had expected the 25 bps increase, as the es...

NSFAS records over 51 000 early applications for 2027, stresses strict deadline for submissions The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) announced on Tuesday that it is "highly encouraged" by a massive wave of early submissions following the official launch of its 2027 application window. A total of 51 474 applications were successfully completed within the first four days of the cycle op...

Mandela Foundation wants voters to demand action on GBVF ahead of elections As South Africa approaches the upcoming local government elections, citizens are being urged to leverage their vote as a tool for "profound social change". The Nelson Mandela Foundation has issued a call to action, reminding the electorate that the ballot box is not the end of democratic duty, but rather the beginning of s...

DA takes ActionSA, EFF, MKP, and GOOD party to Electoral Court over 'hidden' candidate lists The DA has launched an urgent application in the Electoral Court against ActionSA, the EFF, the MKP, and the GOOD party, accusing them of undermining electoral laws ahead of the upcoming local government elections. The legal challenge centres on allegations that these parties are deliberately concealing th...

DA calls for debate on GBVF as three suspects appear in court in Ekurhuleni cases Three suspects are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrates' Court on Monday, marking a major breakthrough in the investigation into a horrifying string of women's murders that has gripped the country. The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced the arrests of one man and two women over the weekend, follo...

Key African central banks set to keep high rates as buffer against shocks African central banks from South Africa to Egypt are poised to keep their interest rates high for longer, seeking to shield their economies from shocks such as surging energy prices caused by the Iran war and to support their currencies. Of the 11 central banks due to deliver their interest-rate decisions over the next two w...

DA challenges Lamola to oppose 'ANC's race-based' policies after US Apartheid 2.0 remarks The DA has challenged International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola to oppose race-based policies within South Africa's own Cabinet, following his recent public condemnation of race-based entry systems while visiting the US. This after Lamola addressed the Congressional Black Caucus Foundatio...

NSFAS opens 2027 applications, assures 'major system upgrades' after returning to board governance Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela announced on Friday that the 2027 National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) application cycle is officially open until November 18. Speaking at the launch event in Johannesburg, Manamela promised that funding outcomes will be communicated in De...

Policing is political, DA says as it offers collaboration in East Rand murders The DA said on Friday that it is willing to work with anybody who "genuinely" wants to take action in delivering justice to the families of the women whose bodies were recently found across the East Rand, in Gauteng, as it stressed that policing is political. After the discovery of the body of a ninth victim in Ekurhule...