Polity Audio Articles

Amnesty International demands SA criminalise femicide to expose 'hidden' crisis Amnesty International South Africa is urgently calling on the State to recognise femicide as a distinct crime, warning that failure to do so leaves the targeted killing of women largely unaddressed. Femicide, defined as the gender-motivated killing of a woman because she is a woman, is currently not classified as a sep...

ActionSA suspends Tshwane ward candidate amid disciplinary probe ActionSA has placed its Tshwane ward candidate and disbarred advocate Malesela Teffo on precautionary suspension with immediate effect, following his arrest in a contempt of court matter. The decision was announced on Thursday by ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni, who clarified that the suspension regulates Teffo'...

DA launches petition to reject SAPS safety warnings as body of ninth woman found DA mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni Khathu Rasilingwane has launched a full-scale petition rallying residents and women across the municipality to reject government instructions urging women to "protect themselves". The launch on Thursday follows the grim discovery of a ninth body in the region, signalling what Rasili...

South Africa's consumer confidence rises despite economic uncertainty, survey shows South Africa's consumer confidence improved in the third quarter, a survey showed on Thursday, although consumer spending is expected to remain subdued in the coming months due to uncertainty stemming from the war in the Middle East. The consumer confidence index, sponsored by First National Bank (FNB) and compiled...

South African inflation expectations stabilise in third quarter South African inflation expectations stabilised in the third quarter, a survey showed on Wednesday, after a steep rise in the previous quarter because of the oil price shock triggered by the Iran war. The quarterly survey is commissioned by the central bank and guides its thinking on the appropriate level of interest rates. The averag...

Govt rejects US visa restrictions, while domestic actors are emboldened The South African government has rejected unilateral visa restrictions imposed by the US, framing its domestic legislation as a constitutional imperative to heal past racial injustices rather than target minority groups. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola hit back at US Secretary of State Marco R...

ANC loses case against IEC, calls for 'calm, discipline' from members The Electoral Court has delivered a blow to the ANC ahead of the November 4 local government elections, after it dismissed the party's appeal against the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC's) rejection of 181 of the ANC's candidate nominations, across six municipalities. The ANC argued that it had met the August 28 deadline...

Majodina apologises over heated confrontation with E Cape resident Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has issued a formal apology to the residents of Kouga, and the broader South African public, following a highly contentious confrontation with a local resident in the Eastern Cape. The incident, which has sparked widespread public outcry, has already resulted in official ethics complaint...

Complete overhaul of appointment process essential to save Joburg, warns CDE The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has issued an urgent directive to political parties ahead of the upcoming November local government election, warning that Johannesburg's compounding infrastructure and management crisis will never be resolved without a complete overhaul of how municipal leaders and boards a...

East Rand killings: Ramaphosa promises 'no stone left unturned' as ANCWL calls for debate on death penalty, castration President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday issued assurances to the public that the recent spate of murders of women in the East Rand area, in Gauteng, will be prioritised as a seventh body was revealed by police, this time in Clayville, a few hours after the discovery of a sixth body i...

SAPS deploys task team as political outrage mounts over murder of 5 women The South African Police Service (SAPS) has issued an urgent safety warning to women in and around Kempton Park, specifically in the Rhodesfield area, following the discovery of five women's bodies over a period of about two months. Preliminary evidence gathered by the SAPS has revealed "deeply concerning similarities" acros...

Ramaphosa greenlights SIU probe into eThekwini municipality, North West Transport Investments President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a new proclamation and a key amendment empowering the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe deep-seated allegations of serious maladministration, corruption, and irregular expenditure at the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and the North West Transport Investmen...

Ramaphosa touts BRICS success, vows to build on $10-billion SA-India economic ties President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to leveraging its BRICS membership to drive domestic economic growth, expand trade and solidify bilateral ties with India. Following the conclusion of the eighteenth BRICS Summit, held over the weekend in New Delhi, in India, Ramaphosa detailed how S...

Ramaphosa calls for BRICS members to invest in productive capacity President Cyril Ramaphosa, during an address to the BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue, held in India this week, called for the bloc to direct investment towards manufacturing and beneficiation, industrial technologies, energy systems, infrastructure and logistics. Africa must not only supply the minerals on which the next gene...

Nigeria suspends official visits to SA over xenophobic attacks The Nigerian National Assembly has officially suspended all official visits to South Africa and has initiated a complete boycott of South African-hosted or South African-organised legislative activities. This directive follows intensive consultations between the leadership of the country's Senate and the House of Representatives and is...

Parties lodge ethics complaint against Majodina over vulgar tirade against Kouga resident The EFF, DA and ActionSA have criticised Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina, following a highly contentious confrontation with a resident in the Eastern Cape. The incident, which has sparked widespread public outcry, has led to an official ethics complaint laid by the DA and ActionSA, and intensi...

South Africa urged to lock in reforms before Ramaphosa leaves South Africa must enshrine its reform process in law to guarantee the momentum gained under President Cyril Ramaphosa endures after he leaves office, said the head of a key business lobby group. "The reform project is the most important project that is happening in this country," Business Leadership South Africa Chief Executive Officer...

Six S Africans still missing after Nepal floods, DNA provided in search efforts Six South African nationals remain unaccounted for following devastating flash floods in Nepal, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) confirmed on Thursday. In response to a formal request from the Nepalese government, Dirco has partnered with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to exped...

South Africa's current account records Q2 deficit as Iran war drives up import costs South Africa recorded a current account deficit in the second quarter after a strong surplus in the first three months of this year, as the Iran war drove import costs sharply higher, central bank data showed on Thursday. The current account deficit was 2.6% of gross domestic product in the second quarter, compare...

Impeachment Committee halts evidence leader appointments, heads to court against EFF, ALPA The Section 89 Impeachment Committee announced on Wednesday that it will legally oppose court applications brought by the EFF and the African Legal Professional Association (ALPA). The legal battle followed the committee's controversial decision to rescind its initial recommendation to appoint advocate Thand...

EFF heads to court over Parly's 'irrational' reversal on removal of impeachment evidence leader The EFF has filed an urgent application at the Western Cape High Court, seeking to review and set aside Parliament's decision to rescind the appointment of Advocate Thandazani Madonsela as chief evidence leader of the Section 89 Impeachment Committee in the Phala Phala matter. The party contends that th...

South Africa's 3% inflation goal is robust, Central Bank study shows South Africa's 3% inflation target can withstand a range of economic shocks as expectations have become better anchored and more forward-looking, the central bank said in a new study. In the absence of major shocks, there's a 78% chance that inflation will remain between the central bank's 2% and 4% tolerance band, authors Theo J...

Govt launches massive crackdown on illegal immigration, hijacked buildings Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi has announced a sweeping, multidisciplinary national strategy to reclaim thousands of hijacked buildings across South Africa's major metropolitan areas and drastically tighten the country's immigration and border controls. Speaking on Tuesday, Kubayi reveal...

Manufacturing, mining weigh on second-quarter economic growth; GDP contracts by 0.2% q/q South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.2% quarter-on-quarter for the second quarter, following growth of 0.4% in the first quarter of the year, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reports. The manufacturing industry contracted by 1.8%, contributing -0.2 of a percentage point, to the overall...

Mbalula extols ANC internal nominations process as party challenges IEC in court over 'administrative setback' The ANC has launched an urgent application in the Electoral Court following the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC's) rejection of the party's 181 candidate nominations across six municipalities. Announcing the legal challenge, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula emphasised that des...