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The Democratic Alliance (DA) will now lay criminal charges against Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane after she was named in a News24 investigation involving Eskom and contractor Vitrovian, alleging that she was paid R700 000 during her employment at Vitrovian to provide community liaison services aimed at stopping wage protests at Eskom's Kusile power plant.

The DA will also be writing to the National Prosecuting Authority to follow up on another investigation on Simelane's alleged involvement with a VBS Mutual Bank loan and it wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Simelane from Cabinet.

The allegations against Simelane in the Vitrovian investigation allege that the company inflated charges and billed Eskom for work done by ghost employees.

"Simelane's signature appears on the very first of these inflated invoices," pointed out DA spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach.

"The DA is astonished by the President's continued insistence on hiding what he knows about Simelane's corrupt dealings from the public. The DA refuses to give up in its fight against the ANC's protection of corrupt officials and will do everything in its power to end the culture of criminality which permeates ANC structures right to the very top," she added.

The DA asked the Presidency to make public Simelane's report to Ramaphosa on her involvement in the VBS matter but was rejected.

"The refusal once again relied on scant justification, incorrect law, and a failure to consider the public interest in the matter," said Breytenbach.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said on Monday that in the 2024/25 financial year, his department disbursed R1.444-billion towards disaster management for the repair of provincially damaged infrastructure.

Hlabisa pointed out on Monday that the disaster response grant was allocated to the affected municipalities for the incidents which happened around December 2024 and January 2025 and the allocations were made last week.

KwaZulu-Natal received R76-million, Mpumalanga received R 11-million and the Free State received R10-million.

In February the Provincial Disaster Response Grant Allocation of R149-million was handed over to the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo.

In March, another Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant of R669-million was given to the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.

In February, the Western Cape received R947-million for the 2025 Provincial Unavoidable and Unforeseeable allocation, after the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) and the province prepared a request to the National Treasury for additional funding. Other provinces are also being considered.

He explained that these funds will support a wide range of urgent interventions - from repairing damaged infrastructure and restoring basic services to supporting schools, clinics, and local economies.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs also submitted applications for the Unavoidable and Unforeseeable allocation for 2024 for Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.

R 947-million was allocated to the Western Cape for this period and the remaining provinces are being considered. The allocated funds are to be used within 12 months.

Hlabisa noted a multisectoral relief and rehabilitation plan will be implemented to support affected communities, and that national, provincial, and municipal authorities are required to submit progress reports on response initiatives, in line with the requirements of the NDMC.

He announced that the NDMC is actively coordinating various funding streams in response to the increasing number of disasters occurring across the country.

"We appreciate the involvement of all stakeholders and the private sector, as effective disaster response relies on a collaborative effort from multiple sectors," he said.

Meanwhile, Hlabisa's department is expecting to finalise the disaster assessments by end of April, to allocate funding to support affected departments and municipalities in the 2025/26 financial year.

Hlabisa announced allocations for disaster funds disbursed to provinces and pointed out that South Africa has experienced significant weather events, with various provinces suffering heavy rains, floods, thunderstorms, and strong winds since the beginning of 2025.

Forty lives were lost, and damage inflicted on infrastructure, homes, and livelihoods in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga, North West, and Gauteng, following the significant weather events in the country this year.

His department is currently assessing the recent classified national disaster, noting that the exact costs are not yet determined, as evaluations are ongoing owing to continuous rainfall affecting many regions.

He said the department noticed multiple ongoing challenges that impede the successful execution of infrastructure grants in various municipalities and provinces.

These issues, he said, diminish the grants' intended impact and ultimately affect the provision of essential services to communities.

He noted poor infrastructure planning and implementation, delays in the appointment of service providers and misuse of grant funds for operational costs as some of the challenges that the department is currently facing.

He explained that there is little to no reporting on fund utilisation, and that accountability mechanisms remain weak at provincial and municipal levels.

"The Departmen...

The Solidarity Movement has said that although it did warn about the "dangers" of the Expropriation Act, it did not present allegations to the US government that large-scale expropriation without compensation is taking place in South Africa.

The Solidarity Movement and its sister organisation, AfriForum, made a trip to the US recently, to discuss concerns regarding South Africa's policies.

The organisation was criticised for this move, with many blaming AfriForum, Solidarity and the Solidarity Movement for creating a campaign of misinformation that led to US President Donald Trump cutting funding to South Africa.

"We want to make it clear that we have never made allegations of a 'genocide' of white people in South Africa. We have not called for sanctions against South Africa. We have not requested that any funds to South Africa be cut off by the US," said Solidarity Movement chairperson Flip Buys.

Buys said the organisation explicitly asked that South Africa not be kicked out of African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) agreement because it would cost thousands of South Africans their jobs.

"As patriotic South-Africans, we have called on the US not to punish the people of South Africa when the Trump administration is angry with the ANC [African National Congress]," he said.

The organisation said should the US kick South Africa out of the Agoa agreement, the blame must be laid squarely at the door of the Ramaphosa government.

"The ANC must stop its ongoing disinformation now," the movement said.

The Solidarity Movement said the ANC must accept responsibility for the diplomatic crisis with the US owing to what it termed the party's "reckless policies".

"The ANC must stop blaming Solidarity and AfriForum for it," Buys said.

He said the ongoing "false allegations" that Solidarity and AfriForum were spreading misinformation abroad were "nothing but disinformation" and an attempt to make the organisation a scapegoat for the ANC's mistakes.

"We reject the ANC's hypocritical statements that we should solve our problems internally in South Africa rather than complain about them abroad. The ANC has clearly demonstrated with the BELA negotiations that they are not prepared to respect the constitutional provision for Afrikaans education. Their refusal to find solutions in good faith to fundamental issues that profoundly affect our language and culture leaves us with no choice but to internationalise our cause," he said.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) on Friday welcomed the South African Reserve Bank's decision to allow for the continued use of the Sassa gold card until all cards have been successfully replaced.

Beneficiaries will now have until April 30 to move from their gold cards to the new black bank cards.

Last month, Sassa and PostBank announced that social grant recipients must replace their Sassa gold cards with the PostBank's black cards, with a deadline of February 28.

The deadline was later extended to March 20.

Sassa said the latest decision followed engagements with PostBank on several issues, including alternative payment methods for beneficiaries who have not migrated to the PostBank black card.

"This decision has been made in the best interests of all the beneficiaries, to safeguard their dignity, lessen panic whilst ensuring their safety and easy access to their grants," Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said.

Sassa acting chief executive officer Themba Matlou said he respected and abided by the decision taken by the relevant banking authorities, while appealing to beneficiaries to change their card to the new PostBank black card.

He said beneficiaries must use this extension and "not wait for the last hour", as it would further inconvenience them.

"From the onset, we listened to the cries of our beneficiaries and understood their frustration. This should not make you to relax, this should make you to wake up tomorrow, with less pressure, and change your card," he pleaded.

With no local satisfaction for AfriForum in its legal fight against the "Kill the Boer" chant, the lobby group is taking its fight overseas, in the hope that it can find international platforms through which it can continue its legal action.

The organisation lost its appeal in the Constitutional Court to have the chant declared hate speech.

Just this week, AfriForum urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to publicly condemn the anti-apartheid "Kill the Boer" chant, recently sung by Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema during a Human Rights Day Commemoration in Sharpeville.

Following that, AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel posted on X.

"As President @realDonaldTrump would say: 'VERY BAD' things are happening in South Africa. Today, the chant 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer,' which targets Afrikaners and farmers, was once again sung in South Africa. @PresidencyZA Ramaphosa and other senior ANC leaders were, as always, silent - once again giving it tacit support by not condemning it. Ironically, this happened today, a day officially recognised as Human Rights Day in South Africa."

He also tagged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South African-born American political commentator Joel Pollak on the post, this as tensions heighten between the US and South Africa over South Africa's land policies, it's economic redress laws and its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

AfriForum, meanwhile, has come under fire for allegedly stoking the tensions between the US and South Africa and for causing social division, which the organisation denies.

"The internationalisation of the fight against calls for violence against Afrikaners and farmers, as demonstrated by the chanting of 'Kill the Boer', is a next logical step, given the clear lack of protection of Afrikaner human rights by the Constitutional Court and the South African Constitution. The chant has already attracted international attention this past week after the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, expressed his dissatisfaction with it," said Kriel.

He said taking the issue international would also draw attention from international authorities and opinion leaders to what AfriForum believes is an encouragement to murder Afrikaners and farmers.

Th organisation said it would expand its 177 neighbourhood and farm watches.

"If the authorities do not want to protect us, we will continue to protect ourselves. We will never accept that calls for violence against our communities are legal, and therefore we will fight it at every possible level with everything we have," Kriel said.

Corruption Watch (CW) chairperson Professor Themba Maseko said on Thursday that the high number of corruption issues in the policing sector is an indication of government's inadequacy in confronting challenges in policing, safety and security; access to education; and a range of rights and services intended to improve people's lives.

The CW released its thirteenth annual corruption report, 'Accountable Together', which highlighted that the share of corruption in the policing sector stood at 13%, which Maseko said constituted the highest number of reports received by subsector, with the second highest number of complaints received from the business sector, at 12%, followed by basic education at 11%, and State-owned entities at 7%.

He also highlighted the contribution of business to South Africa's levels of corruption and the lack of appetite to address its impact.

In 2024, the organisation received 546 corruption complaints - substantially less than the previous year's 2 110.

"…while not intentional, internal processes leading to a period of transition required a refocus of resources and a thorough review of our systems. Although this was a temporary measure that has since found resolution, it meant holding off on soliciting new complaints during that time, to restructure our systems," he explained.

He said maladministration - a persistent area of concern - accounted for 34% of reports - topping the types of corruption featuring in 2024, followed by fraud at 21%, employment irregularities at 16%, bribery or extortion at 5%, and procurement irregularities at 13%.

He said it was unsurprising that corruption in local government emerged again as a key trend.

"The metropolitan municipalities of Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town, eThekwini, and Ekurhuleni reflected the highest number of corruption reports in this category, collectively accounting for 51% of all corruption incidents reported," he noted.

Gauteng had the highest number of reports across provinces, with 45% of complaints, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 11%, Western Cape with 9%, and Eastern Cape with 8%.

Meanwhile, he urged accountability from the Government of National Unity (GNU) and from citizens, saying it was on citizens to do their best to counter the decline in moral standards.

"It has also never been more important for every single one of us to demand accountability, not only from the GNU on all levels of government, but also from each other for our own stances in combating corruption, and for our efforts to counter the moral, economic, and physical decline evident across the country," he said.

He highlighted that accountability must begin with every individual and extend to every level of society, business, and government.

"Our freedom, so clearly articulated in the Bill of Rights, comes with the responsibility to be accountable and to accept the consequences of our actions.

"This year, CW encourages all its supporters, partners, donors, and funders to be 'accountable together' in the interest of bringing South Africa back to the pedestal it once enjoyed as an inspiration for many other nations on the continent and abroad," he stated.

He noted that accountability for CW meant that the rule of law should be respected and proper processes followed, so that those who were found guilty of wrongdoing received a just sanction, justly arrived at.

"It also means that the whistleblowers who continue to come to us will feel that their concerns have been heard, as they remain a focal point of our work. We support them according to our resources and capacity, in whatever way will be most impactful, and we owe it to them to do our utmost to restore the rule of law," he explained.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg said it "vehemently" rejects assertions made by City of Johannesburg (CoJ) mayor Dada Morero that the party is responsible for the mooted renaming of Sandton Drive, saying it is pleased that the city is considering reopening the public participation process and bringing a motion to council to rescind what ihe DA calls the "frivolous" renaming of Sandton Drive.

"There is absolutely no truth to this. The renaming was proposed by Al Jama-Ah in 2018, and had it come to fruition, the street would have been renamed to City of Ramallah Drive. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) co-opted the motion and subsequently proposed the name of Leila Khaled Drive," clarified DA Johannesburg Caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku.

In January the DA's motion against the renaming was withdrawn from council. The motion in question, would have rescinded the 2018 decision to rename the road.

There are objections to the renaming of Sandton Drive after Palestinian liberation fighter Leila Khaled, who hijacked her first plane in 1969, particularly as South Africa faces tensions with the US and as the US Embassy is situated on Sandton Drive.

The council is now considering the possible diplomatic fallout from this name change.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said Morero must not use the reopening of the public participation process as a stalling tactic due to the diplomatic sensitivity around it, but to rather do away with the motion in its entirety.

Echeozonjoku pointed out that it was in fact Morero's own caucus that voted alongside the EFF and others in favour of the renaming.

Meanwhile, the EFF called on the CoJ to proceed with the renaming process "without compromise, apology, and fear", saying delaying or abandoning the decision would be a betrayal of the country's revolutionary principles.

The party said it firmly opposed the "cowardly efforts" by the Ramaphosa administration and the CoJ to halt the renaming process, particularly because the US embassy was on this road.

"South Africa, given its own history of colonial dispossession and apartheid, has a moral obligation to stand in full solidarity with the Palestinian people. Just as the world stood with us during our darkest days, we must continue to support those fighting for their dignity and liberation," the party said.

The pointed out that Leila Khaled was not just a symbol of resistance, "she is a revolutionary who has, for decades, stood firm against the brutal occupation of Palestine by the apartheid state of Israel".

The EFF said the US and "its imperialist allies" had always sought to "demonise" freedom fighters, labelling resistance as terrorism while turning a blind eye to the genocide, land theft, and daily atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians.

The party said it rejected the notion that renaming a street after Leila Khaled would "worsen diplomatic tensions" with the US, considering that the US had already targeted South Africa owing to its support for Palestine and its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

"Trump has already expelled our ambassador to the US, and now has proposed a right-wing white supremacist as his choice for ambassador to South Africa," the EFF said.

The party said South Africa must refuse to bow to foreign interests that seek to silence the truth and erase the legacy of those who stand against oppression.

It said the renaming of Sandton Drive to Leila Khaled Drive was not merely symbolic, it is an act of defiance against imperialism and a declaration that South Africa would always side with the oppressed.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday welcomed to its ranks the leader of the opposition and leader of the African National Congress (ANC) in the City of Cape Town Council Banele Majingo, with the GOOD Party calling Majingo's move a betrayal to his party and all members of the Cape Town opposition.

Majingo said after careful consideration, he realised that his personal values and principles were now more aligned with those of the DA. This comes as the City of Cape Town Council sat ahead of a motion of no confidence against Cape Town Council Speaker Felicity Purchase.

The motion was submitted in February by Majingo on behalf of the multiparty opposition.

With Majingo's resignation, the motion was dismissed from the agenda.

"I am committed to their pursuit of clean governance and economic growth. I am increasingly impressed with their commitment to deliver for poor residents and the unemployed," Majingo said.

Majingo began his political career as an activist. He was expelled from school for having a copy of the Freedom Charter, said DA Metro region chairperson JP Smith.

On Wednesday, the DA also welcomed 49 members from the ANC, African Christian Democratic Party and Africa Restoration Alliance.

MOTION AGAINST CAPE TOWN SPEAKER

Meanwhile, the GOOD Party said Majingo chose to "hide his decision" and was not present in council, when the motion of no confidence in Purchase was called.

The multiparty caucus is accusing Purchase of violating her obligation by "bullying and silencing" opposition councillors, instead choosing to "prioritise the will" of her political party, the DA.

GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor and Caucus Whip Jonathan Cupido said his party would now bring its own motion of no confidence against the Speaker.

"It is clear we cannot rely on the majority opposition, the ANC. They have become unreliable and ineffective. Purchase has failed in her duty to represent all members of council and must be held accountable," he said.

Cupido noted that the Speaker was responsible to the people of Cape Town and all members of council, including the opposition.

"She is obligated to protect councillors' rights to freedom of speech and ensure that the council operates in accordance with the rules," he explained.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape on Wednesday welcomed 49 members from the African National Congress (ANC), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and Africa Restoration Alliance (ARA), who it says believe that the party is the "ideal vehicle to promote hope, non-racialism and effective governance".

DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said their decision to join the party was not about politics, but about community service.

The members were welcomed by Simmers and DA Metro chairperson JP Smith.

Simmers stated that the DA was a party that believed in "hard work, in standing up for what is right, and in strengthening communities where everyone can prosper".

"However, none of this can be done alone. We cherish the partnerships with faith-based organisations and community leaders who dedicate their lives to uplifting the people of this province," he said.

He recognised the role of the religious fraternity in society - not just in spiritual matters, but in feeding the hungry, educating children, and bringing hope.

"Our message is clear: The Democratic Alliance is a home for all who share our passion for a better South Africa. Whether serving in the pulpit or in public office, whether a business owner or a teacher, a community leader or a caregiver - if you align with our values and you work tirelessly for our people, you belong with the DA," said Simmers.

He highlighted that with the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape being a "beacon of hope", the party wanted to inspire the rest of South Africa through the linkage of faith and good governance.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa's "delayed move" in calling for the rejuvenation of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), urging him to prioritise persistent and extraordinarily crippling water shortages and electricity outages.

The party has sent an open letter and a plan to "rescue the city" to Ramaphosa, in which Msimanga says it is disappointing that Ramaphosa's motivation to intervene in Johannesburg and Gauteng more generally is the G20 meetings and not the longstanding issues faced by the citizenry.

The CoJ will be hosting the G20 Leaders' Summit in November.

"It is a pity that it took the hosting of the G20, where you want to present a city in tiptop shape to the world, to move you to action. Maybe for that reason we should be thankful that Johannesburg is hosting the G20 so that the citizens of this wonderful city can finally benefit from service delivery they deserve," he said.

Msimanga noted that the residents of Gauteng had been "lamenting the visible degradation" of the province for the last 25 years.

"…something you surely should have noticed since your seat of government as well as your party's head office is situated here," he said to Ramaphosa.

Earlier this month, Ramaphosa announced that government was proposing the establishment of a Presidential Johannesburg Working Group to accelerate service delivery, stabilise the city's finances and operations, and enable economic growth and job creation.

Msimanga believes the intervention points to failure by the Johannesburg municipality and the provincial government.

He said the DA wanted the Working Group to consult the residents of Johannesburg and urged transparent oversight mechanisms in all three legislative spheres to ensure that the interventions were managed in accordance with corporate governance principles.

He also noted that automatic criminal charges must be laid against anyone found to have circumvented supply chain processes and said all interventions must seek to generate sustainable solutions to the problems currently faced by the residents of Johannesburg.

The DA said it would be launching a portal for the residents of Gauteng to list areas where the Presidential Working Group should intervene in the province.

WATER SHORTAGES

The DA proposed upgrading electrical hardware at Joburg Water pumping stations and water towers, as well as generators to be used in the event of power outages.

The party wants a comprehensive audit of indigent households and a ring-fenced budget for the audit, as well as investment in water infrastructure using water grants and implementation of the National Treasury directive to ring-fence allocated water revenue.

Msimanga said Joburg Water should play a bigger role in the revenue value chain - overseeing data inputs, the reading of meters and managing large water consumers and key accounts.

The DA is also proposing the development of an integrated metering system to detect water losses across the City, and the fast-tracking of the requisite upgrades of water reservoirs, with priority given to leaking ones.

ELECTRICITY

The party is also calling on the Working Group to develop an integrated metering system to detect losses coming into the City Power grid, and suggested agreements with Eskom to reduce the debt that the State entity claims to be R4.9-billion, although the amount has been disputed by the municipality.

The DA wants alternative power acquisition programmes to mitigate loadshedding, introduced by former mayor Mpho Phalatse to be followed through.

It wants the implementation of a massive cable theft and illegal connections strategy.