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President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday signed into law the Expropriation Bill, which repeals the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975 and sets out how organs of State institutions may expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons.

In March, the National Council of Provinces passed the Bill. The Bill was and it was adopted by the National Assembly in 2022.

Spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa Vincent Magwenya explained that the Bill, which has undergone a five-year process of public consultation and parliamentary deliberation, aligns legislation on expropriation with the Constitution.

"The Bill assented to by President Ramaphosa outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis. This law will assist all organs of State - local, provincial and national authorities - to expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons.

"Local, provincial and national authorities will use this legislation to expropriate land in the public interest for varied reasons that seek, among others, to promote inclusivity and access to natural resources," explained Magwenya.

He pointed out that Section 25 of the Constitution recognises expropriation as an essential mechanism for the Sstate to acquire someone's property for a public purpose or in the public interest, subject toin exchange for just and equitable compensation being paid.

"Up to now, expropriation of property has been governed in terms of the Expropriation Act of 1975, which predates the expropriation mechanism provided for in section 25(2) of the Constitution," he said.

The Bill repeals the Expropriation Act and to provide a common framework in line with the Constitution to guide the processes and procedures for expropriation of property by organs of state.

He highlighted that in terms of this law, an expropriating authority may not expropriate property arbitrarily or for a purpose other than a public purpose or in the public interest.

Expropriation may not be exercised unless the expropriating authority has without success attempted to reach an agreement with the owner or holder of a right in property for the acquisition thereof on reasonable terms, he addedexplained.

"An expropriating authority is therefore obliged to enter negotiations with the owner of a property required for such purposes.

"An expropriating authority must also attempt to reach an agreement on the acquisition of the property before resorting to expropriation - except in circumstances where the right to use property temporarily is taken on an urgent basis in terms of a provision in the legislation," Magwenya noted.

He pointed out that the law provides for disputes to be referred for mediation or to appropriate courts.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters have been vocal about the Bill, with the DA saying the Bill threatens land ownership security.

The EFF has been pushing for land expropriation without compensation.

The South African Reserve Bank will trim its repo rate next week by a quarter of a percentage point to 7.50% and repeat that in March, but then delay its final 25 basis point cut of the cycle to the third quarter, a Reuters poll forecast on Thursday.

As US President Donald Trump's new administration settles into office, South Africa's Reserve Bank was expected to ease interest rates gently this year as it awaits clarification on his proposed tariffs and other policies.

All 19 economists surveyed in the past week were unanimous in saying the SARB would cut its repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.50% on January 30.

A slim majority in the poll said the central bank would cut by another 25 bps to 7.25% in March.

Median forecasts showed the bank would wait until the third quarter to cut again by 25 bps, its last expected move this year and through 2027. In a December survey, a third cut was expected in May.

Johannes Khosa, economist at the Nedbank Group Economic Unit, was one of the economists who expected only two 25 bps cuts this year to put the repo rate at 7.25% by end-2025.

"We believe Trump's policies, if implemented, will be inflationary. This will cause inflation to be sticky and cause the US Fed to reduce rates slower or even stop cutting. The SARB will have to follow suit, scaling down the cuts in order to maintain the interest rate differential," Khosa said.

The rand weakened on Monday, after Trump announced a flurry of policy changes following his inauguration.

On Tuesday, he vowed to hit the European Union with tariffs and said his administration was discussing a 10% punitive duty on Chinese imports.

The US Federal Reserve is due to meet next week and is expected to hold its benchmark rate steady as it also keeps an eye on Trump's administration and challenges from its own bond market.

Inflation in South Africa rose for the second month in a row in December, yet at 3.0% year-on-year it was still below the mid-point of the Reserve Bank's 3%-6% comfort level. The poll suggested it would average 4.1% this year and quicken to 4.5% next year.

The South African economy was expected to grow 1.7% this year and 1.9% next.

"We think there's enough evidence to suggest the improvements seen in the macroeconomic backdrop will continue this year," said David Omojomolo, Africa analyst at Capital Economics.

"The effects of loadshedding and logistics constraints should continue to fade, while the agriculture sector, which was a big factor behind the GDP contraction in Q3, should soon rebound," said Omojomolo.

In this poll, Capital Economics was joint most bullish on growth, forecasting 2.3% for South Africa this year.

Twenty-five families of anti-apartheid activists and survivors of apartheid-era crimes are forcing the African National Congress (ANC) and government to admit to its "failures and obligations" to grant justice to the families.

On Monday, with assistance from non-profit Foundation for Human Rights and law firm Webber Wentzel, the families brought an application in the Pretoria High Court against President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government, seeking constitutional damages for the government's "gross failure" to adequately investigate and prosecute apartheid-era political crimes following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

They seek an order compelling Ramaphosa to establish an independent and public commission of inquiry into the political interference that resulted in the suppression of several hundred serious crimes arising from South Africa's past.

The families also want to know the names of the ANC politicians "who decided that the activists must not be granted justice."

The applicants are the survivors of the Highgate Hotel Massacre, Neville Beling and Karl Weber; as well as the family members of the Cradock Four, Richard and Irene Motasi, Caiphus Nyoka, the PEBCO three, the COSAS four, Nokuthula Simelane, Rick Turner, Musawakhe 'Sbho' Phewa, Hoosen Haffejee, Mxolisi 'Dicky' Jacobs, Imam Abdullah Haron, Deon Harris, Matthews 'Mojo' Mabelane, Ntombikayise Priscilla Kubheka, Ignatius 'Iggy' Mthebule and Nicholas Ramatua 'Boiki' Tlhapi.

Journalist Lukhanyo Calata, the son of Fort Calata, one of the Cradock Four murdered by the South African police in 1985, said he had hoped his father's killers would have been prosecuted much sooner.

"It's a very sad today for me to sit here to be part of an application or legal challenge, like this against the State, because this is not what I wanted. I would have preferred the State to have acted when it had the time to do so. To prosecute my father's killers and to allow justice for me, my mother and my sisters, and to create the kind of society where my father's life mattered . . .

"…when successive African National Congress-led administrations failed to do that, it told me that my father's life, that Mathew Goniwe's life, Sparrow Mkonto's life, and Sicelo Mhlauli's life, who become known as the Cradock Four, that their lives did not matter in a government that has been led by the ANC," said Lukhanyo Calata.

He said justice was not something one could outsource.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION SUPPRESSIONS

Last year, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola re-opened the inquest into the deaths of the Cradock Four. The Minister's decision came on the recommendations of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

He explained that in the more than 20 years following the handover of the TRC report to former President Thabo Mbeki, government Ministers had intervened to prevent the NPA from carrying out its constitutional mandate to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes.

"Justice delayed in this manner has ensured that justice is permanently denied to our families," Lamola said.

Head of the Webber Wentzel Pro Bono Department Odette Geldenhuys highlighted that constitutional damages were last resort legal remedies for addressing "egregious violations" of constitutional rights by the State.

"In this case, the suppression of post-TRC accountability efforts has led to the loss of witnesses, perpetrators and evidence, making prosecutions impossible in most cases and denying survivors and victims' families rights to justice, truth, and closure," said Geldenhuys.

Foundation for Human Rights executive director Dr Zaid Kimmie emphasised that the case was pursued in the public interest and for all survivors and families of victims who aim to address the "systemic failure" caused by political interference in the investigations and prosecutions of the TRC cases.

The families hope the court will force Ramaphosa into action, claiming that letters written...

Non-governmental organisation AfriForum has launched a petition against Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau's proposed plan to get private-sector entities to contribute an equivalent of 3% of annual net profit after tax for the development of black suppliers under the proposed R100-billion transformation fund, labelling it "racially discriminatory".

The fund is aimed at supporting black-owned businesses and small, medium-sized and microenterprises and also aims to address the financial barriers faced by historically disadvantaged groups, including black South Africans, women, youth, people with disabilities, and those residing in rural and township areas.

However, it will be funded by the enforcement of more Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Codes in the private sector,

AfriForum expressed its "moral objections" to any fund which distributes finances based on race, pointing out that the fund is "immoral and destructive", and it also poses a risk of corruption.

"The significant levels of corruption and looting that plagued the government's R500-billion Covid-19 support funds serve as the perfect example of this risk. Finally, decades of racially discriminatory policies under African National Congress (ANC) government have failed dismally to reach its stated goals of uplifting the poor and addressing the unemployment crisis. Unemployment has, as a matter of fact, drastically risen since the introduction of these new race laws," it said.

AfriForum head of public relations Ernst van Zyl said a struggling South African economy could not afford more government tax and more racial discrimination.

"The ANC's failed race-obsessed experiment has gone on for long enough. It is time to give meritocracy and a business-friendly approach a chance," he added.

He highlighted that government already had more than 141 race laws on its books, which qualify it as the "most race-mad government in the world".

"…this shocking statistic is a source of shame, not something to be celebrated or even expanded upon," Van Zyl said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has since called for Tau to immediately bring the fund to Cabinet for proper discussion and approval.

The party said the policy was a "clear violation of the principle of good governance, undermining Cabinet and the Government of National Unity."

The party said it would not support any effort that tried to "undermine" the rule of law or "jeopardise" the competitiveness of the South African economy.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Wednesday opened a case of corruption against Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) expressed strong support for what it describes as Macpherson's "decisive" actions to uncover and address alleged corruption within the Independent Development Trust (IDT).

The EFF said it opened a case against Macpherson for his alleged "corrupt interference" in tender processes at the IDT, and for the violation of National Treasury Regulations and the violation of the Executive Members Ethics Act.

In December, the EFF claims, Macpherson allegedly sent an email to a programme manager at the IDT with an instruction to facilitate payment to Lonerock Construction.

The EFF said approval is needed from National Treasury and the DPWI before the IDT could process any payments.

The party said Macpherson's actions undermined the integrity of his department, and also said his alleged actions exposed the DA's "true intentions to use State institutions to serve the interests of white minority capital".

DA National Spokesperson Willie Aucamp said it was suspicious and "entirely transparent", that the allegations come just as Macpherson is exposing, investigating and stopping serious corruption, including an R800-million scandal involving an oxygen tender awarded irregularly by the IDT, within his department.

The EFF accused Macpherson of bypassing the IDT's executive leadership and board, choosing instead to email a junior staff member, asking for a report on the payment delays.

"…this direct intervention blurred the lines of authority and undermined the IDT's established governance structures," said EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini.

He claimed that his party has evidence such as "emails from the office of the Minister demanding payment from a specific contractor."

SUSPENSION

ActionSA has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to immediately suspend Macpherson, pending the outcome of investigations into allegations of criminal and unethical conduct.

"These allegations, if proven true, represent a grave breach of public trust and demand urgent action," said ActionSA Member of Parliament Malebo Kobe.

The party highlighted that it will be formally writing to the Public Protector and the Head of the Hawks to demand immediate confirmation that the complaints filed against Macpherson are being treated with urgency.

"…South Africans deserve transparency and accountability, and we will not stand by while these serious allegations are swept under the rug. Now that formal complaints and charges have been filed, the critical next step is ensuring that the competent authorities, namely the Public Protector and the Hawks, conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. The public must have confidence that those entrusted with governance uphold the highest ethical standards," said Kobe.

The party pointed out that it has consistently maintained its stance that Cabinet Ministers must be beyond reproach.

"We have consistently applied this standard, including in the cases of Minister Thembi Simelane and Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni."

Meanwhile, the DA defended Macpherson's actions, saying it reflected what should be the standard for all government leaders, "a relentless commitment to exposing and eradicating corruption."

The party called on the Portfolio Committee of Public Works and Infrastructure to unite behind Macpherson and be as "animated and vigorous" as he is in interrogating corruption and holding officials accountable in the interest of serving the public.

DA Deputy Spokesperson on Public Works & Infrastructure Edwin Bath said the recent ongoing investigations into the R800-million oxygen plant tender, riddled with irregularities such as unqualified bidders and fraudulent documentation, underscored the Minister's commitment to "transparency and accountability."

"An ethical Portfolio Committee should be united in supporting any efforts by the Minister and his depa...

South Africa's inflation rate rose for the second month in a row in December but by less than expected, with analysts saying the central bank was still likely to deliver another interest rate cut next week.

Headline consumer inflation ticked up to 3.0% year on year in December from 2.9% in November, with housing and food major contributors, Statistics South Africa data showed on Wednesday.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a rate of 3.2%, still well below 4.5% - the level the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) aims for.

"The smaller-than-expected rise in South Africa's headline inflation rate ... combined with the recent recovery in the rand, supports our view that the SARB can continue with its easing cycle," said David Omojomolo, Africa economist at Capital Economics.

Average inflation for 2024 was 4.4%, the lowest level in four years.

Economists expect the South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee to deliver another 25 basis-point rate cut at its next policy announcement on January 30.

It cut interest rates by 25 basis points at its last two policy meetings in September and November.

Annual core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, came in below expectations at 3.6% in December, reflecting modest underlying price pressures.

"We expect inflation to drift higher in 2025 but remain below 4.5% for most of the year. The upward pressure will mainly emanate from food and fuel prices," Nedbank economists said in a research note.

Following the electoral losses suffered by the African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal during last year's general elections, the party called for leadership in those provinces to be reconstituted, in terms of the framework of its constitution.

The party announced that national officials will submit a proposal on the reconfiguration of the leadership to the ANC National Working Committee (NWC) within a one-week period.

The party lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to victory at the end of apartheid in 1994.

The ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) said it welcomed the "thorough, analytical and supported" report by the NWC.

The ANC said its NEC had a "rich, extensive and reflective" discussion focusing on renewal and rebuilding the party in the two provinces, as well as strengthening the leadership.

The NEC agreed that unity of the ANC should be the overriding objective and to achieve this the party must ensure that all its leaders work together in renewing and building the organisation.

The NEC agreed that the state of the organisation in all provinces required urgent action following the poor electoral outcome.

"…however, the decline suffered in the two key provinces required immediate action as the two provinces were not only the most populous but economic hubs of the country and account significantly for the national vote share," the ANC NEC explained.

In strengthening the ANC, the NEC agreed to ensuring that the renewal process continues and that it will also focus on political education.

The NEC said it will ensure that members are deployed to assist in the rebuilding of the branches in all provinces and the party will also use the capabilities of past leaders nationally and provincially in the rebuilding process.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile noted changes in the country's economic patterns, but acknowledged that the pace of South Africa's economic growth and development is protracted and not at its optimum levels.

Mashatile was speaking during the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) 2025 annual Organised Labour School, in Pretoria, on Tuesday, where he pointed out that for the first time in a year, South Africa's official unemployment rate decreased from 33.5% in the second quarter to 32.1% in the third quarter, marking a positive shift in the country's labour market.

However, he said while the country was promoting economic growth through investments and infrastructure development programmes, efforts had not yet yielded satisfactory results.

He wants government to better address income inequality and improve the quality of life for workers, highlighting the importance of harnessing the collective power of stakeholders to ensure that South Africa's labour market is "inclusive, fair, and globally competitive".

Mashatile acknowledged that the Nedlac meeting was taking place during an international poly-crisis characterised by inequality, high levels of unemployment, climate change, wars, migration, urbanisation, and the growing youth dividend.

Locally, he pointed to the current mooted closures and scaling down of production in the steel industry and some of the companies in the mining sector, which he said had resulted in massive job losses.

"Through our collective efforts, we have managed to develop collectively agreed sector plans. However, all stakeholders of Nedlac must bear the responsibility of facilitating the speedy execution of these plans for them to live up to our expected outcomes," he explained.

POLICY INTERVENTIONS

He said over the past 30 years policy programmes aimed at creating decent employment for the people were introduced.

"Together we have created an environment for labour unions to practice their democratic rights as enshrined in the Constitution, the Labour Relations Act and other critical legislation that reversed apartheid policies thereby introducing progressive policy interventions," he said.

He also pointed to the introduction of the minimum wage, the two-pot retirement system as well as other policies that cushioned workers and the poor.

"…these and many other progressive policies are a result of our commitment to transforming the economy and society so that many who were excluded can meaningfully participate in the economy.

"However, despite the progressive policy interventions we have introduced, we are still faced with the challenges of high levels of unemployment and poverty as well as inequality. We are also faced with challenges of crime, gender-based violence, and corruption as well as weak implementation and delivery of services," Mashatile added.

He stated that the labour movement is and has always been more than just a defender of workers' rights, but also a pivotal driver of South Africa's economic progress.

He added that by advocating for better working conditions, the movement inherently promoted increased productivity and, ultimately, GDP growth.

Collaborative efforts between unions and employers have fostered a culture of innovation, resilience, and shared prosperity, he said.

South Africa's economic outlook is better this year than last, but the inflation picture is more muddied as risks abound, its central bank governor said on Tuesday.

South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago told Reuters in an interview at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, that growth in Africa's most industrialised economy could be close to 2% in 2025, versus the 1.1% growth projected for 2024.

"Depending on who is forecasting, growth varies between 1.6% and 2% (this year). We think ... it would be closer to 2% than closer to 1.6%," he told the Reuters Global Markets Forum.

Kganyago cited the formation of a broad coalition government last year as one of the key enablers of faster growth.

"The structural reform agenda has gained momentum, and it has been given impetus by this Government of National Unity with a very clear focus on taking South Africa's economic trajectory to the next level," he said.

The coalition that emerged after the long-ruling African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority includes the business-friendly Democratic Alliance and a host of other smaller parties from across the political spectrum.

Investors are optimistic that reforms in key sectors such as electricity, freight rail and the visa system will accelerate and lift the annual growth rate beyond the meagre 1% it has averaged over the past decade.

Kganyago warned that South Africa's inflation outlook could be muddied by factors including protectionist policies with the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House.

With other risks including the rand exchange rate, the global oil price and local food prices, there are "too many moving parts" to have a clear view on price pressures, he said.

Annual consumer inflation was at 2.9% in November, below the SARB's target range of 3%-6%, although it is expected to rise in December and this year average about 4.5%, the midpoint of the range which the bank aims for.

The SARB cut interest rates at its last two meetings of 2024, and many analysts expect a further cut at its first announcement of the year next Thursday.

South African police have launched a manhunt for a Lesotho gang member believed to have controlled operations at an illegal gold mine where 78 bodies were recovered last week during a police siege, from which he escaped.

The alleged kingpin, known as "Tiger," surfaced from the mine in Stilfontein while it was under police surveillance and escaped from custody with the help of officials, a statement from the South African Police Service said on Monday.

"Extensive investigations and tracing operations are underway to find those officials who aided his escape between shaft 11 and the Stilfontein police holding cells," the statement said.

Police were widely condemned for the months-long operation in which they cut off food and water supplies to the miners in an attempt to force them out of the mine to face arrest.

The stand-off culminated in a state-sponsored rescue operation last week in which 246 survivors were retrieved from the deep mine, many of whom were emaciated and weak from hunger.

But police claim the gang leaders were to blame for the deaths, citing reports from some miners who said there was food underground but the kingpins kept it for themselves.

Thousands of people are believed to be involved in illegal gold mining in abandoned industrial mines in South Africa in search of leftover gold. Some of the workers spend months at a time underground.

The lucrative industry is known to be run by Lesotho-based gangs, and police say some of the workers are illegal immigrants recruited from neighbouring countries without knowledge of what they have come to do.

Tiger was named in statements by miners as a ring leader who ran operations, the police statement said.

"He is also being accused by some illegal miners... (as) being allegedly responsible for some deaths, assault and torture that is alleged to have taken place according to videos in police possession. He is also alleged to have hoarded and kept food away from other illegal miners," it said.