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President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill, amid criticism from civil society organisations and political parties.

Ramaphosa said that in a year in which voters were presented with the greatest diversity of electoral choice, the legislation "constitutes tangible, material support for a vibrant, competitive, open and equitable electoral system and democratic culture".

The Bill was passed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in March and sent to Ramaphosa for assent and is a sequel to the Electoral Amendment Act that was passed last year to provide for independent candidates to stand for election in Parliament and provincial legislatures.

He explained that the Bill made consequential amendments to the Electoral Act of 1998, the Electoral Commission Act of 1996 and other relevant legislation, which he said arose from the introduction of independent candidates and independent representatives in the National Assembly and provincial legislature.

"In this context, the new legislation provides for independent representatives to receive funds from the Multi-Party Democracy Fund, which is also administered by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)," he said.

Ramaphosa noted that while the Represented Political Parties Fund was resourced by the fiscus, the Multi-Party Democracy Fund aimed to raise and distribute donated funds from the private sector to represented political parties.

He added that the Fund would now include independent candidates.

Last month, ten opposition parties represented in Parliament petitioned Ramaphosa to not sign into law the Bill, on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

The political parties that petitioned Ramaphosa included the African Christian Democratic Party, the African Transformation Movement, the Congress of the People, the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Freedom Front Plus, GOOD Party, the Inkatha Freedom Party, the National Freedom Party, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and the United Democratic Movement.

The political parties warned that if Ramaphosa assented to the Bill, they would be forced to join civil society, which had already given notice of an intent to approach the courts to oppose this legislation on the grounds of unconstitutionality.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa also assented to the Second Adjustments Appropriation Bill which provided for a net movement of R290-million across functions and economic classifications in line with the requirements of the State.

He said the Bill provides additional financial support to a number of departments and institutions, including R200-million to the Department of Home Affairs for the purpose of transferring the money to the IEC for the Represented Political Parties Fund.

The aim of the Fund was to provide funding for political parties represented in the national and provincial legislatures, he said.

Ramaphosa highlighted that resources for this fund were provided annually from the National Revenue Fund and were distributed to political parties represented in the National Assembly or in any provincial legislature.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday although South Africa is a "vastly different place" than it was 30 years ago, he acknowledged that there is still much more that needs to be done.

Ramaphosa was speaking during the launch of the '30 Year Review of Democracy' report in Pretoria, where he conceded that South Africa was contending with slow economic growth, high unemployment, poverty, inequality and underdevelopment.

"We know that for millions of South Africans, the promise of 1994 has not yet translated into the meaningful change that they seek and deserve. That is why we must, and we will, continue to work in earnest to resolve the challenges that are holding back our progress," he said.

He explained that government would continue its efforts to overcome the energy crisis, to implement structural reforms to boost economic growth, adding that it would also drive programmes that created more employment, and improved the capacity of the State to deliver services.

He said the democratic breakthrough of 1994 represented a decisive break with a painful past and an opportunity for South Africa to chart a new course.

He highlighted that government had established a unitary, democratic State and created institutions to uphold democracy and promote accountability.

South Africa has an independent judiciary, a robust civil society, a free media and a clear separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, Ramaphosa noted.

"We have advanced transformative policies to change the racial and gender composition of the economy and the workplace. We have implemented laws to protect workers and advance their rights," he explained.

Ramaphosa said land had been restored to many who had been dispossessed and government had provided emerging farmers with the means to productively use their land.

Ramaphosa highlighted that just as South Africans stood together to overcome Covid-19 pandemic, and having united to confront other crises, periods of difficulties could be overcome.

"If we are to fully transform this country, we must renew the same pledge made by our forebears at Kliptown - to strive, sparing neither strength nor courage, until the democratic transformation is complete," he noted.

REPORT REFLECTS PROGRESS

Meanwhile, he said the story of 30 years of democracy contained in the report was an honest and critical appraisal, representing light and shade; and progress and challenges.

He said this report was a vital reference for anyone who wants to understand the last 30 years and for everyone who wanted to look into the country's future.

"It is our hope and expectation that this review report will be studied in detail and that its findings will be applied. This 30 Year Review report is much more than a chronicle of a changing nation," he said.

Ramaphosa noted that the report was undertaken as a tribute to all those who fought for the country's freedom, and for all South Africans who had worked together to build and enrich democracy.

He highlighted that the scope of the 30 Year Review report was not only retrospective, it also looked to the future and the insights it had generated would inform future government planning.

He said it would also assist government as it worked to achieve the vision of the National Development Plan by 2030 and plan for the decades ahead.

Former African National Congress (ANC) member, prominent activist and now independent candidate Zackie Achmat believes a coalition government is likely after the 2024 elections but advised that stability is needed to move the country forward.

Speaking exclusively with Polity on Wednesday, he warned against authoritarianism, Trumpism and Zumaism and said stability and the rule of law were needed to improve the conditions of the working class.

"If we don't improve it for the working class it will not be improved for anyone else, in fact it would become a danger for middle class and upper class people. So our duty is to see first and foremost that the country is stable and the stability should not be one that endorses corruption, it should not be one that doesn't support the rule of law and the Constitution. It shouldn't be one that allows people to say no minimum wage. For me, I wouldn't enter a coalition but I would vote for a President," he said.

"Although I must say this, I couldn't imagine voting for [Democratic Alliance leader] John Steenhuisen," he added.

Achmat, who is one of the 11 independent candidates aiming for seats in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures in this year's elections, said his decision to stand for Parliament was a difficult one, particularly as the ANC had been his only political home.

Achmat noted his work over the years after leaving the ANC, from the Treatment Action Campaign's HIV work, to land justice, Equal Education, the Social Justice Coalition and Ndifuna Ukwazi, and then the UniteBehind movement, which focused on challenging corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa.

"…and I almost gave up on that. It would have been the first thing in my life that I nearly gave up on because I thought it was so bad. And then I thought, because I was in UniteBehind with my comrades, we couldn't let them get away with it, we couldn't let the ANC get away with it, we couldn't let the corrupt officials and corrupt companies get away with it. When the Constitutional Court ruled [that independents could contest the election] a bunch of my comrades said to me you have to stand for Parliament," he explained.

Achmat stressed that while he was standing as an independent, he was going into the election as a part of a movement and said he would like to be a Member of Parliament that does good.

He aims to serve on Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), where he believes he will be the most effective in making a difference.

He said while the majority party will have the ability to decide who sits on Parliamentary committees, he would hope that they would consider his experience and take into account his stance on corruption and State capture and his ability to deep dive into Auditor General (AG) reports.

"The important thing for me about doing that is those reports, no one knows about it. The AG issues a report and says there was wasteful and fruitless expenditure, there was irregular expenditure, basically outlining corruption and waste. They don't name the companies and they don't name the officials who are implicated. That should be Scopa's job. It's been so rare that Scopa has actually ever called a company to give evidence about corruption. So for me being on Scopa would be to get those reports to communities and to discuss it there and to take their voices back into Parliament," he pointed out.

His aim is to use Parliament to build a community knowledge movement that will strengthen democracy and ensure that "better people" are appointed in government.

Another pillar of his campaign is to fix the State. For him, Section 195 of the Constitution is more important that the Bill of Rights, as it speaks about public administration and advocates for an open, accountable, efficient, ethical public service that provides timely, accurate and accessible information to advance citizens' needs.

"When I ask you to vote for me, I'm going to take your voice to Parliament, I'm goin...

The Democratic Alliance's (DA's) latest political advertisement has raised the ire of President Cyril Ramaphosa who is urging political parties to uphold the dignity of South Africa's national symbols.

The DA released a political advertisement that seemingly shows the South African flag being burned, which the party says is "a stark warning against the looming disaster of a Doomsday Coalition involving the ANC, the EFF, and other parties".

The burning of the flag is then reversed, with the words "Unite to rescue South Africa. Vote DA" shown against the backdrop of the South African flag, whole.

In a statement issued by the Presidency on Tuesday, it said Ramaphosa condemned the advert "in the strongest terms".

"The President believes this depiction is desperate and inciteful and undermines the principles of democracy and unity in the midst of the national celebration of 30 Years of Freedom and the preservation of tolerance and peace in the build-up to the 29 May national and provincial elections."

Ramaphosa called on South Africans to join the condemnation of using the flag for "political party purposes".

He said the flag transcended political interests and was a symbol of integrity and unity.

"Our flag holds profound significance for the nation as it represents the hard-won freedoms and peace achieved through historical struggles against injustice. As government, we firmly defend the right to freedom of expression, with the expectation that this right be exercised with respect for all people and that it does not incite social upheaval or violence. To manipulate or exploit national symbols for personal or partisan gain is disrespectful and also undermines the essence of democracy and civic responsibility," Ramaphosa said.

Rescuers were using cranes, drills and their bare hands to try to reach dozens of people trapped when a multi-storey building being built in the South African city of George collapsed, killing at least six people.

Of the 75 workers who had been on the construction site, 48 remain unaccounted for on Tuesday. Authorities have made no comment about what caused it to collapse on Monday.

While the rescue teams are able to communicate with 11 people buried in the wreckage, families gathered waiting for news of their loved ones were in tears, fearing the worst.

"We treat everybody as still alive," Colin Deiner, chief of disaster management for the Western Cape province, told a press conference.

There have been moments of hope. People clapped and cheered as rescue workers pulled a person out alive from among broken concrete slabs and twisted steel reinforcements. They have made contact with other survivors as they scour the site with sniffer dogs.

"We have one area where four people are in a basement and we've been communicating with them, so that's quite a big operation that's taking most of the day to get them out," Deiner said.

So far 27 people have been retrieved from the site, in the coastal city east of Cape Town, including at least six dead.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for an investigation.

Liatel Developments, the contracted builder of the structure, said it was trying to assist those on site of the five-storey residential building.

"The investigations to follow obviously will reveal what has transpired and what has happened, but at this point in time it's just saving as many people as we possibly can," company director Theuns Kruger told Reuters.

CCTV footage seen by Reuters showed a cloud of dust as the building crumbled.

A local councillor told reporters on Monday she had heard a "boom" and then the building collapsed.

Sizwe Ummah Nation (SUN) Party parliamentary candidate Rasheed Ebrahim Gutta is urging politicians to stop party politics and concentrate on putting the country first.

Gutta told Polity that one of the challenges South Africa was facing was that 'party' was placed above 'country'.

"When the ruling party in government has held the advantage of having over 50% majority, they have been able to protect themselves when they are guilty, by choosing the party over the country," he said.

He explained that with so many parties contesting the elections this year, there could be too many parties going to Parliament. He said when it came to coalition talks, his party would be looking at it on an issue-by-issue basis.

"…I believe in South Africa seven out of ten issues we all will be common in. If we want to reduce unemployment, reduce poverty, there is nobody who is going to argue against that, it is only in selective items like regarding foreign policies and how we react or black economic empowerment, those type of issues might have differences," he said.

He reiterated that in the broader context all parties were working towards a common goal in the country.

"The coalition should be of one party, which is one country, saying South Africa is the main concern," he said.

Gutta encouraged voters to vote for change, promising a better life for all citizens.

He said over the last 30 years enough opportunity had been given to the current government.

"…but unfortunately the lives of everyday citizens are deteriorating and the reason why SUN Party is a great opportunity is because I am a business person and we have studied and experienced growth models of other counties such as China and we do not want to reinvent the wheel," he said.

SUN Party wants to champion the promotion of a "Godly government", equality, and ensuring that poverty is rooted out.

He said the objective of the party was to transform society to become more equitable, noting that there was too much inequality in the country.

He is confident that his party has a guaranteed, tried and tested economic recovery plan.

He noted that if given the mandate to govern, the SUN Party promised a better life after five years of governance.

"…and if not, we are prepared to even step aside and allow someone else to take over, but we are very sure that we can do this task," he said.

Meanwhile, the SUN Party is in partnership with Afrika United Congress (AUC) which is part of the Nazareth Baptist Church.

He said shortly after the party qualified for the elections, the AUC approached the SUN party.

Gutta highlighted that the AUC looked at the SUN's value systems of "God consciousness" and the party felt that they could align with SUN's values.

"…they approached us and requested to join us in our mission to go and contest the current elections. We have the alliance with them, a possible merger if we see that we can go forward with that in the future," he said.

An inquiry into a fire that killed 77 people in Johannesburg last year blamed neglect by authorities for allowing a building to become a den for guns, murder, drugs and combustible trash, and failing to evacuate it once it was clear it was a hazard.

South Africa opened the inquiry last October to determine responsibility for the blaze on August 31 last year in the rundown centre of its commercial hub.

The fire cast light on the gangs that seize abandoned public buildings to illegally rent them out. Many victims were so badly burned they had to be identified with DNA testing.

"No case amply demonstrates the consequences of failure to comply with the obligations the law placed on a municipality (than) ... the calamity (of the fire)," the report said.

A spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in the full report, which Reuters reviewed, the justices said the city "acknowledges that it failed to comply with the applicable laws".

It had said, however, that it should not be held accountable since the building's decline was facilitated by "the illegal conduct of the residents, threats issued ... to its officials and the hijacking of the building".

Johannesburg is one of the world's most unequal cities. Well-to-do leafy suburbs containing houses with private swimming pools lie next to informal settlements where poverty and joblessness are rife.

Panyaza Lesufi, premier for Gauteng, the province that includes Johannesburg, promised to swiftly implement the report's recommendations.

"If one thing makes me have sleepless nights, it's the state of ... (central) Johannesburg," he told a news conference.

"It's an indictment on all of us."

The report said the building was regularly the scene of gunshot fire, murders, sex trafficking of teenagers and drug deals. A suspect had confessed to starting the fire to dispose of a murder victim he had killed while high on crystal meth.

It also said firefighters were too slow to respond to emergency calls, while authorities had failed to evacuate and demolish the building, collect the trash accumulating there, or to prevent firefighting equipment being removed for scrap.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday assured that government is working to get rid of red tape that impedes and slows down investment.

Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that it was only through attracting higher levels of foreign and domestic investment that a swift, sustainable economic recovery could be assured.

He said government had significantly reduced waiting times for water use licences and other important authorisations for getting major investment projects off the ground.

Ramaphosa said since this administration took office, government had held five Investment Conferences that had attracted R1.5-trillion in investment commitments across a broad range of economic sectors.

"Over one-third of these pledges have translated into job-creating businesses and business expansions in renewable energy, mining, packaging, automotive, retail, manufacturing, transportation and other sectors," he said.

He highlighted that while there was a broadly positive attitude towards South Africa among investors, the country's net foreign direct investment as a percentage of gross domestic production was slightly lower than the global average.

"That is why we continue to work to implement our policies and align regulatory and other obstacles, so that we can attract higher levels of investment. Through the auction of broadband spectrum and progress in digital migration, for example, we have greatly expanded opportunities in telecommunications," Ramaphosa said.

He acknowledged that electricity supply had been a major challenge to citizens and the economy, but assured that through government's Energy Action Plan, much progress in dealing with the country's electricity crisis had been made.

"We have seen an improvement in the performance of Eskom's power stations and substantial investment in new generation capacity. This has contributed to a sustained decrease in the severity of loadshedding," he said.

He highlighted that the work government was doing with business, labour and other social partners in improving the efficiency of the country's ports and rail infrastructure was also starting to bear fruit.

Further progress in these areas would increase the country's competitiveness and attractiveness as an investment destination, he said.

He announced that much effort had been invested in improving capacity to plan, package and finance major infrastructure projects, creating new investment opportunities in energy, housing, logistics, manufacturing and other areas.

"We will continue to build on the gains that we have made towards creating an enabling business and investment climate that promotes economic growth and creates jobs," he said.

State power utility Eskom has said it has "no choice" but to approach the Johannesburg High Court to force City Power to pay just over R1-billion in unpaid debt.

Eskom noted that City Power began to default on payments in October 2023 and that it did not receive any payment for March, this year.

Eskom said City Power's debt reached "unprecedented" levels, "exacerbating" Eskom's strained financials.

"This dire situation not only undermines Eskom's financial sustainability, but also threatens its ability to maintain essential infrastructure, invest in new technologies and meet the growing energy demands of the province. Over and above, City Power declared a dispute regarding potential overbilling on bulk purchase invoiced dating back to 2021. Eskom denies the claims made by City Power and will prove its position through the arbitration process," the power utility said.

It stressed that the municipality was still obligated to pay for Eskom's services, even during a dispute.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomed acting National Assembly Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli's commitment to investigate the salary increase of the Secretary to Parliament.

The matter relates to the salary hike that was approved by the then Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for the Secretary to Parliament Xolile George, raising his salary from the advertised and approved maximum of R2.6-million to R4.4-million.

DA Chief Whip Siviwe Gwarube argued on Friday morning during the National Assembly's Programming Committee, that the salary hike of over 70% for the Secretary to Parliament must be investigated.

Gwarube said she took the matter to the Joint Standing Committee of Financial Management of Parliament (JSCFMP) to probe but claimed that the African National Congress (ANC) blocked those efforts.

"I took the matter to the Powers and Privileges Committee for investigation; the ANC elected to sweep the matter under the carpet," she explained.

"It is a victory that the Acting Speaker will table the matter with the JSCFMP which is tasked with oversight of the Parliamentary budget," said Gwarube.

She noted that the matter needed a resolution before this term ended, saying gone were the days where the ANC got "to play fast and loose with the people's Parliament and not be held accountable for it".