Polity Audio Articles

Businesses not yet feeling the effect of reforms, as confidence drops – BLSA Businesses are unfortunately not yet feeling the impact of structural reforms on the ground, with felt progress important in the move toward a new operating environment in which electricity is priced through competitive markets and logistics services can be accessed through multiple operators, says business organisation B...

Court shuts down UDF's bid to get IEC to extend candidate nomination deadline The Electoral Court has handed down a decisive judgment dismissing an urgent application by the newly registered United Democratic Front (UDF), which sought permission to participate in the upcoming local government elections despite missing the critical candidate nomination deadline. The applicant, which was officially...

Ramaphosa says Madlanga commission must be free from interference, defends SAPS President Cyril Ramaphosa has asserted that the ongoing Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality and Political Interference within South Africa's Criminal Justice System must proceed thoroughly and entirely without interference. Writing in his weekly newsletter on Monday, the President addressed the "deeply dist...

Ramaphosa authorises SIU corruption probe into E Cape Public Works President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially authorised the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe allegations of corruption and maladministration at the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. By signing Proclamation 344 of 2026, the President has cleared the way for the Unit to investigate a series of highly se...

Hill-Lewis urges Ramaphosa to intervene in DBE textbook catalogue DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has issued an urgent appeal to President Cyril Ramaphosa to step in following an unprecedented showdown within the Department of Basic Education (DBE). The dispute centres on a "green light" given by the department's director-general for a controversial new Foundation Phase textbook catalogue, completely...

Ramaphosa believes ANC candidate system glitches are 'containable' ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed confidence that the party's election candidate nomination registration issues will be resolved, describing the issue as "containable and manageable." Speaking during a campaign trail event in Ekurhuleni on Friday, Ramaphosa minimised the impact of what the party says are Independent Elect...

South Africa may face class action over Sharpeville massacre Survivors of one of the defining events of the anti-apartheid struggle, the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre, and their dependents have applied for permission to institute a class action against South Africa's government over the failure to repeal a 65-year-old law that prevents them from seeking damages. An application, filed in the Gauteng Hi...

Nov polls 'critical turning point' to end corruption, service failures – Amnesty International Ahead of the upcoming local government elections scheduled for November 4, Amnesty International South Africa is calling on voters to cast their ballots with human rights and accountability at the forefront of their minds. With widespread public frustration over collapsing infrastructure and poor governa...

ANC reiterates 'system glitches' as it appeals to IEC to recognise election candidates The ANC has formally requested that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) recognise and process candidate details that the party says were successfully captured and stored on the system prior to last Friday's deadline, rather than the IEC treating the submissions as non-existent, owing to the party's belief...

RMB/BER Business Confidence Index stabilises after second-quarter setback The Business Confidence Index (BCI) published by financial services firm RMB and economic research organisation the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) edged down by one point to 38 in the third quarter, slightly down from the 39 recorded in the second quarter. The index indicates that this level of confidence implies that 62...

Dirco clears High Commissioner Sooklal of suspicion of facilitating Zuma-Gupta meetings The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) announced on Wednesday that its official mission to India did not facilitate any substantive engagement between former President Jacob Zuma and fugitive businessman Ajay Gupta during Zuma's recent private trip. Following the conclusion of interna...

IEC records 43% surge in candidates for Nov elections, despite thousands missing registration cutoff The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced a massive surge in political participation ahead of the upcoming local government elections in November, while clarifying that candidates who failed to finalise their applications are officially out of the running. Addressing the media in Cen...

MVC takes aim at 'incomplete' political donor records, 'toothless' funding framework The latest political funding disclosure has sparked intense debate over the true meaning of transparency in South Africa's politics, with civil society organisation My Vote Counts (MVC) warning that current laws are leaving voters in the dark about who controls the cash. Ahead of the upcoming local government elec...

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...