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ActionSA will on Tuesday file criminal charges against Justice Minister Thembi Simelane with the South African Police Service in Polokwane, relating to her alleged corrupt involvement with a VBS Mutual Bank loan, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) is urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to take "decisive action" against her.

It has been alleged that while serving as the mayor of Polokwane in 2016, Simelane took a loan of R575 600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, the company that brokered "unlawful" investments of R349-million into VBS Bank on behalf of the Polokwane municipality, amongst others.

"It is well established that the so-called 'loan' was obtained in 2016 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, the same investment brokerage that unlawfully invested R349-million of Polokwane Municipality's funds into the now-collapsed VBS Bank. New information suggesting the probable backdating of the loan agreement to potentially conceal the transaction warrants a criminal investigation, and as such, ActionSA will be filing criminal charges," the party said.

Last month, ActionSA approached the Public Protector to urgently investigate allegations made against Simelane and to probe a potential violation of the Executive Members' Ethics Act.

Political parties have been calling for Simelane to step aside from her ministerial role while the allegations against her are investigated, with the DA reiterating its call for Simelane to step aside.

DA spokesperson on justice and constitutional development Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach said the recent disclosure of "glaring inconsistencies" in the so-called loan agreement with VBS corruption-accused Ralliom Razwinane, deepened the conflict of interest facing the Minister.

"The discrepancies in the document - such as contradicting payment dates and the strong suggestion that it was backdated - undermine any claim to transparency and raise serious questions about the Minister's integrity," added Breytenbach.

Considering these revelations, she said her party believed that Simelane should make the decision to step aside, as it "casts a shadow over her capacity" to uphold the justice system she is meant to serve.

"While we respect the National Prosecuting Authority's mandate to investigate and decide on any potential prosecution, the President has a duty to act now in the face of what is clearly a blinding conflict of interest," stated Breytenbach.

The party wants Simelane to be suspended or removed from her post to protect the integrity of the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development.

"The South African public deserves leadership that is beyond reproach, particularly in matters as critical as justice and constitutional development," highlighted Breytenbach.

Last week Simelane appeared before the African National Congress Integrity Commission. Earlier this month, she appeared before the Justice Portfolio Committee, and she is scheduled to meet with Ramaphosa.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga has announced that his party will be presenting former Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink as its preferred mayoral candidate, as it hopes to engage with the African National Congress (ANC).

Brink was removed from office on Thursday after the African National Congress (ANC) and ActionSA joined forces, with the help of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), to vote him out in a motion of no confidence.

Those against were the DA, Freedom Front Plus and the African Christian Democratic Party. One councillor from the Inkatha Freedom Party abstained.

Msimanga was unpacking the Tshwane Council meeting and the outcome of the motion of no confidence against Brink, on Friday, where he pointed out that the DA will attempt to engage with the ANC and other political parties.

"I am engaging and will be engaging throughout this whole week, possibly next week, with other political parties as well. We will still be engaging with the ANC, whether we are doing it at the national level or local level, we will still attempt to reach out to them at the provincial level to see if we are able to find each other," he said.

The council has 14 days to vote in a new mayor.

ActionSA is set to field Tshwane's deputy mayor Nasiphi Moya as its mayoral candidate, while the ANC in Tshwane said it is expected to submit names in line with the party's deployment processes.

Brink said DA leaders "made every attempt" to persuade the ANC's national leadership to withdraw the motion of no confidence against him, saying this would have allowed the future of the city to be deliberated under conditions of "relative stability", while the existing Mayoral Committee continued its work.

"…had the ANC acceded to this request, there would have been time and opportunity to devise a settlement in the best interest of the people of Tshwane and Gauteng," he said.

Brink said the constant changing of mayors was a cause of deteriorating municipal governance and service delivery.

"But the ANC, with the endorsement of its so-called National Working Committee, actively gave the go-ahead for the motion of no confidence, signalling not just bad faith towards the DA, but strengthening the negotiating position of the EFF," said Msimanga.

Brink said it was the ANC who placed Tshwane under provincial administration in 2020 and caused "financial devastation", adding that it was also the ANC, with the help of ActionSA, who "choose chaos instead of cooperation" with the DA, at a time when Tshwane's financial recovery was still at a "fragile point".

The DA asserted that the multiparty coalition government, which previously included ActionSA, had made steady progress under Brink's leadership.

Brink said in the past 18 months his administration had improved the finances of the city, improved audit outcomes and submitted financial statements on time.

He believes the credibility of those financial statements proved that Tshwane would receive an unqualified audit, saying this was important in restoring the City's credibility.

He said Tshwane was on the road to financial governance improvement, under his leadership, pointing to the political instability the City had had in the past ten years.

"It is irresponsible in the extreme to bring down a City government without having any plan of what to put in its place. The uncertainty and instability caused by these political games will have real implications for the City of Tshwane and its residents," he pointed out.

He said while ANC, EFF and ActionSA councillors were "dancing about the council chamber, celebrating the downfall of a DA mayor", ABSA was considering the city's application for a R800-million overdraft facility, as well as the rate at which it would be granted.

Brink assured that the DA would ensure that professional, non-political senior managers were not victimised and removed from their positions to make way for "pliable cadres".

He also promised that the party will ensure that dis...

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday that the Western Cape High Court's decision to interdict uMkhonto weSizwe Party's leader in Parliament Dr John Hlophe from participating in Judicial Service Commission (JSC) processes, is a landmark victory for the party and for the integrity of South Africa's judiciary.

The High Court issued its judgment on the DA's urgent application to interdict Hlophe from taking up a seat on the JSC, this after the party filed papers against his designation to the JSC in July.

Hlophe is the first judge to be removed from office by the National Assembly, after the JSC found him guilty of dishonesty and gross misconduct. His conviction resulted from his attempts to unlawfully influence two judges of the Constitutional Court, Judges Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta, in 2008, to rule in favour of Jacob Zuma in cases before them.

In July, Hlophe was nominated by his party to serve on the JSC, which is responsible for nominating judges for appointment, and for disciplining judges.

Earlier this month, the Western Cape High Court began hearing the DA's case challenging Hlophe's designation to the JSC.

DA national spokesperson Karabo Khakhau said the court's decision affirmed the party's position and has strengthened the fight to maintain the highest standards of integrity within the country's judiciary.

"An impeached judge, found guilty of gross misconduct, should not hold a position on the JSC, a body entrusted with the responsibility of selecting judges and upholding the highest standards of judicial integrity," explained Khakhau.

She highlighted that the ruling was a major step in safeguarding the independence and credibility of the country's judicial system, and added that allowing Hlophe, who was impeached after a long and contentious legal process, to influence the selection of future judges would have "severely damaged public trust" in the judiciary and "compromised the principles" that uphold democracy.

"Today's ruling is a clear victory for all South Africans who believe in an impartial and ethical judiciary. It underscores that those tasked with overseeing and selecting our judges must be held to the highest standards of conduct. We remain committed to upholding the rule of law and defending the values enshrined in our Constitution," stated Khakhau.

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said the DA had been spearheading this fight for 16 years, and said that the party "will fight it to the end".

"Today's victory is a big milestone in this extended battle," she noted.

The DA assured it would continue in its fight to ensure that the country's judiciary remained "independent, transparent, and free from political interference".

In officiating the repatriation and restitution homecoming ceremony of South African freedom fighters who lost their lives in Zambia and Zimbabwe during the apartheid era, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ceremony must build on the emerging government-wide collaboration on cultural heritage and preserving the memory of the country's freedom fighters.

Ramaphosa was speaking in Pretoria, where he said government must work with education and heritage stakeholders to ensure that the names and contributions of African freedom fighters are known and appreciated by future generations.

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton Mackenzie and Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga on Wednesday received the remains of former liberation fighters who passed away in exile in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The repatriation process is said to be conducted in close collaboration with regional governments, historical experts, and local communities to guarantee a respectful and well-coordinated return.

Ramaphosa said the return of the remains from Zambia and Zimbabwe marked the start of a process to return the remains of fallen freedom fighters from several other countries.

"The Exile Repatriation Project will continue, in fulfilment of the duty we owe to those who fought for our freedom, to their families and to the generations to come. South Africans need to know the names and appreciate the contributions of these returned freedom fighters," he said.

The South African government expressed its gratitude to the people and governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, for "having taken great care of South Africa's compatriots" and for enabling their remains to be repatriated.

"…like other countries on our continent - and in other parts of the world - they stood alongside us in our struggle for freedom. They hosted our freedom fighters. They provided material assistance. These countries dedicated themselves to our cause, often at a great cost to themselves and their people," Ramaphosa said.

He wants government to build memorials to the sacrifices, resilience and solidarity that characterised the friendship between the countries.

"We are hopeful that we may work with the authorities of these countries to promote the memorialisation of our shared struggles. We hope that we may promote education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges," he said.

He said in memory of those who fell, government must work "with greater determination" to lift South Africans out of poverty and to create employment and equal opportunities.

"We must work to end all forms of violence. We must build safe homes and communities. We must tear down the divisions between black and white, between men and women, between rich and poor," he added.

He pointed out that the journey of the fallen patriots reflected the "powerful and irreversible" ties of solidarity and friendship among Africans and the peoples of the world.

"As a country, our experiences of struggle and solidarity propel us to continue to work vigorously for a better Africa and a better world. Our commitment to international peace, justice and respect for human rights is unwavering. We will continue to stand opposed to any form of colonialism or apartheid anywhere," he stated.

South Africa's household wealth rose in the second quarter as an increase in the market value of their assets outstripped that of their liabilities - in part due to a strong stock market rally, the central bank said.

The ratio of net wealth to nominal disposable income rose to 393% in the three months through June, from 389% in the first quarter, data in the South African Reserve Bank's Quarterly Bulletin published Thursday showed. That was the highest ratio since the first quarter of 2023.

South Africa's FTSE/JSE All-Share Index rose 6.9% in the quarter after declining 3% in the prior three months. Gains were fuelled, in part, by optimism over the formation of a business-friendly governing coalition in June. The African National Congress formed the alliance after losing its outright parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years in May elections.

The new government has committed to accelerating reforms to boost economic growth that's remained stagnant for a decade.

Within days of the coalition agreement, ArcelorMittal SA reversed a decision to shutter two steel plants that support 80 000 jobs. Soon after, Qatar Airways bought a stake in South African airline SA Airlink Pty Ltd. A $70-million auto-parts facility to supply Toyota Motor Corp., which just three years ago said it might leave the country, has since opened and Anglo American Plc announced a $625-million iron-ore investment.

Other Highlights

South Africa's total external debt increased marginally to $158.3-billion at the end of March from $158.1-billion in the prior quarter.

Foreign currency-denominated external debt rose to $91.8-billion in the first quarter from $89.4-billion in the prior three months partly due to the government's borrowing of $1-billion from the World Bank and €500-million from the KfW Development Bank.

Household debt as a percentage of nominal disposable income edged lower to 62.2% in the second quarter from 63% in the prior three months.

Net flow of capital on South Africa's financial account switched to an outflow of R18.1-billion in the second quarter from an inflow of R51.4-billion in the prior three months.

Portfolio investment liabilities recorded a further outflow of R20.1-billion in the second quarter.

Growth in labour productivity in the formal non-agricultural sector accelerated marginally to 1.7% in the first quarter from 1.6% in the prior three months.

Policy think tank the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) on Thursday expressed disappointment with the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA's) performance, calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently appoint a retired judge to conduct an enquiry into the NPA and its leadership, performance, structure and independence.

Speaking at the launch of the organisation's report 'ACTION FIVE: Energise the NPA', CDE executive director Ann Bernstein said the proposed enquiry was not a formal commission of enquiry but rather one to make recommendations to Ramaphosa, Justice Minister Thembi Simelane and her Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, within eight months.

Bernstein explained that the NPA had been seriously weakened by political interference over the years, noting that the lowest point was during Jacob Zuma's Presidency, when he appointed Shaun Abrahams to replace Mxolisi Nxasana as National Director of Public Prosecutions in 2015.

"The disappointing performance of the NPA has failed to deter the spread of corruption, has created disillusion with government's commitment to upholding justice, and has diminished State capacity," Bernstein explained.

She said the goal of the proposed commission should be to identify the specific causes of the NPA's lack of performance and to recommend remedial action.

She said where allegations against the organisation, the leadership and officials within the NPA were investigated and found to be untrue, it was important to emphasise this, as these "repeated allegations undermine the legitimacy and work of the NPA".

She explained that the disappointing performance of the NPA had encouraged impunity among criminals and had failed to deter the spread of corruption, which had also led to a pervasive sense of despair that the State could not enforce the law.

RECORDS OF PROSECUTIONS

Bernstein said there was a self-evident need to restore accountability.

"To do this, we need a clear understanding of the reasons for the failure of the NPA, the most evident of which is its poor record in prosecuting (much less securing convictions) in most of the major corruption cases it has been investigating. We can then consider the remedies to get the NPA back on track," she said.

Bernstein noted the "slow and erratic" prosecution of widely reported cases of corruption, which she said undermined democracy and encouraged the misappropriation of State resources and diminished the capacity of the State to deliver on its obligations.

"To further speed up the process of getting major corruption cases to court, the Minister of Justice must request the Chief Justice and the Judge Presidents of the High Courts to set up special corruption courts," she suggested.

The CDE also called on Ramaphosa, Simelane and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to publicly support the NPA and endorse its investigations and prosecutions of those charged with priority crimes, even if those charged were powerful people.

"...they should do this on an ongoing basis so as to remind the public (and the NPA) of their unconditional support for the vital work of the NPA in dealing with corruption," said Bernstein.

She highlighted that to strengthen its capacity, the NPA should enter public-private partnerships with "transparent, independent and temporary" entities, which she said would facilitate increased cooperation between the NPA and private practitioners in prosecutions of priority corruption cases.

Bernstein said the Government of National Unity must significantly increase the funding available to the NPA, also urging Simelane to immediately issue an instruction to her department to release the full archive of the Zondo Commission, including its witness statements and investigation materials, so that it was available to the NPA.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus will take up seats as the official opposition in the City of Tshwane, after Mayor Cilliers Brink was removed through a Motion of No Confidence on Thursday.

The motion was brought by the African National Congress (ANC), which had previously filed two motions against Brink, both having been withdrawn before they could be voted on.

Earlier on Thursday, DA Tshwane spokesperson Kwena Moloto said the withdrawal of ActionSA from the Tshwane Multiparty Coalition plunged the city into political instability, and now threatened its future.

DA Gauteng provincial leader Solly Msimanga said ActionSA has "disrupted" the course of progress and unity that the Tshwane Multiparty Coalition government worked to build.

ActionSA pulled out of the Tshwane coalition with the DA to join the ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in kicking out Brink.

"ActionSA's backstabbing played right into the hands of the ANC's power hunger. The ANC has no interest in good governance in Tshwane but wants to pillage and steal from a stabilised government. This will no doubt destabilise Tshwane and ActionSA is duly complicit in this power grab," said Msimanga.

He said the "doomsday coalition" the DA had warned against in the run-up to the recent national elections had now taken over Tshwane, issuing a warning to the City of Johannesburg and City of Ekurhuleni.

"A future of urban decay and service delivery failure lies ahead for the good citizens of Tshwane. Once parties get a scent of what they perceive to be power, evidently, they sacrifice constitutional principles for the fulfilment of misplaced personal vendettas," Msimanga stated.

He highlighted that ActionSA broke the coalition under the guise of change.

"The trust and aspirations of every citizen who believed that Tshwane could in fact work, has been broken. Make no mistake, what unfolded in the council chambers today will only stunt the economic and societal advancements we've worked so hard to bring about. Trust in Tshwane's institutions, especially financial institutions, has been destroyed today," he said.

The DA said it would now closely watch any attempt to reverse disciplinary action against the five senior officials implicated in the irregular Rooiwal tender, and any attempt to remove professional, non-political senior managers to clear the way for fraud, corruption, and interference with tenders.

The party will also look out for any attempt to direct officials to award tenders to companies associated with the ANC and EFF.

In one month, the Department of Home Affairs has managed to clear the Identity Documents (ID) backlog that began to accumulate in November 2023, following a change in IT service providers.

Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber described bottlenecks in multiple areas in the production value chain, the office of application-to-application authentication, printing, and in the final issuing of the ID.

He said as a result, nearly a quarter of a million applications became "stuck" in a growing backlog.

"Today, on September 25, the number is zero, with the backlog completely eradicated," he said.

As part of its commitment to clearing backlogs and enhancing efficiency, in August Home Affairs consolidated all the "stuck" IDs into a single database to systematically clear the backlog.

On that day, there were 247 500 IDs in the backlog, said Schreiber.

"Since then, officials have worked tirelessly to ensure that applications are 'unstuck' for IDs to reach clients who were waiting to gain access to this important piece of civic documentation, without which they cannot become active participants in the economy," he highlighted.

Schreiber said this feat proved that longstanding challenges at Home Affairs can be resolved when work is done in a systematic and focused manner.

"This achievement, alongside our progress in reducing the visa backlog, reforming regulations to attract tourism, skills and investment, as well as the important initial steps we are taking towards digital transformation, should lead to growing confidence in our ability to drive the reforms required for Home Affairs to deliver dignity to all," he stated.

He said the clearing of this specific backlog also signified the department's commitment to turn Home Affairs into a powerful economic enabler, as the individuals affected by the backlog can now seek employment, open accounts, and gain access to social grants.

"We still have much more to do. Our apex priority is the wholesale digital transformation of Home Affairs to create a new system where South Africans should

be able to submit ID and other applications from the comfort of their own home through a digital platform, followed by the delivery of these documents to their doorstep," he noted.

Home Affairs has also extended office hours on every Saturday, between 08:00 and 13:00, until October 12 to enable clients to collect their IDs and other civic documentation. During this past Saturday, more than 9 200 people took advantage of the opportunity.

Justice Minister Thembi Simelane has been called by the African National Congress (ANC) to appear before its Integrity Commission, on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Simelane appeared before the Justice Portfolio Committee, and she is scheduled to meet with President Cyril Ramaphosa, relating to her alleged corrupt involvement with a VBS Mutual Bank loan.

It was alleged that while serving as the mayor of Polokwane in 2016, Simelane took a loan of R575 600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, the company that brokered "unlawful" investments of R349-million into VBS Bank on behalf of the Polokwane municipality, amongst others.

Political parties have been calling for Simelane to step aside from her ministerial role while the allegations against her are investigated.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said Simelane's appearance before the Integrity Commission would allow her to state her case, as a way to preserve the integrity of ANC members.

The meeting would not be open to the public but Mbalula said developments would be communicated.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said on Wednesday provincial education departments will in the next two to three years, find it increasingly difficult to fund existing posts and programmes within the available budget, unless measures are proactively taken to mitigate this risk.

Gwarube was briefing the media about imminent budget cuts in the department, where she stressed the need for the education department to receive a larger share of the national budget, to ensure that there were enough teachers, quality infrastructure, and adequate resources for every learner.

She pointed out that most provincial education departments required between R350-million and R3.8-billion over the medium-term expenditure framework to fully fund their respective basket of posts.

"The numbers are staggering. If we continue down this path, projections indicate that most provincial education departments will not be able to maintain their respective basket of posts," she said.

The Western Cape Education Department has already decided to cut 2 400 teaching jobs for 2025, owing to budget shortfalls.

"…this may mean larger class sizes, reduced individual attention for learners, and, ultimately, a risk to the achievement of quality education outcomes," she explained.

She said other provinces were in a similar position, with many desperately working to find ways to use their budgets for key services such as textbooks, administration support and scholar transport programmes.

She highlighted that nationally, the number of learners within the education system had increased by about 292 820 over the last five years.

Learner/educator ratios have also steadily increased across most provinces, she added.

"An increase in learners' number without increasing the post basket may affect the quality of teaching which may soon be reflected in the performance of the system. Largely, the financial constraints have had the largest impact on educator provisioning, leading to a steady increase in learner/educator ratios in most provincial education departments," she explained.

Gwarube believes the education department is faced with a pending national crisis.

"…the crisis is not confined to one province or one aspect of the education sector - every province is grappling with these 'painful choices'. Several provinces have preserved the same post basket for the past three academic years, despite learner numbers increasing, while other provinces have decreased their posts in the past three years," she explained.

She said in the 2025/26 financial year, four provincial departments would battle to cover their budgets; in 2026/27, five provinces would battle to cover their budgets; and in 2027/28, seven provinces would not be able to afford their budgets.

Gwarube said the department needed to invest in upskilling teachers to allow them to educate in a rapidly changing world, also urging the investment in appropriate infrastructure and the eradication of unsafe infrastructure.

The Minister also noted the inclusion of technology in classrooms, and digital tools such as access to the Internet, and training for both teachers and learners.

Meanwhile, she said government had "not made the right choices at the right time" - which she believed had brought the department to this point.

She highlighted that the economy had been stagnant for nearly a decade with growth rates remaining below 1% in real terms, which was far below what was needed to generate sufficient tax revenue to fund public services, including education.

"Without a growing economy, government revenues shrink, and when revenues shrink, so do our budgets," she noted.

Gwarube pointed out that South Africa needs a "robust, dynamic, and growing" economy to generate the revenue required to fund public services adequately, calling for the adoption and implementation of economic policies that prioritise growth.