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The George municipality has reported that, as at 15:00 on May 13, 25 people still remain unaccounted for following last week's building collapse.

The death toll has risen to 27, while 13 people remain in hospital.

Rescue efforts have been under way since the partially built building in the George central business district collapsed on May 6.

South Africans will vote in a national election on May 29 with an unprecedented sense of uncertainty about the outcome, as polls suggest the African National Congress (ANC) will lose its majority after 30 years in power.

With coalition government looking like a possibility for the first time since the end of apartheid, a dizzying array of 70 parties from Marxists to social democrats to free marketeers are vying for voters' attention in the last weeks of campaigning.

The following are the key issues that matter to voters who will elect a new National Assembly that will then choose the next president.

JOBS

South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, trapping millions of people in poverty and making them reliant on social grants, and the problem is worse now than it was at the end of apartheid.

The joblessness rate stood at 32.4% in 2023, nearly 10 points higher than in 1994, when the ANC came to power. Young people account for more than half of the country's unemployed, with a rate of over 40%.

ECONOMY

The root cause of the joblessness crisis is sluggish growth. South Africa's economy has barely grown in more than a decade, with economic growth averaging 0.8% since 2012.

Falling tax revenue has caused government debt to rise, with debt-servicing costs consuming a greater share of the national budget than basic education, social protection or health. The debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to reach 74.1% in the current fiscal year, up from 63.3% five years ago.

POWER CUTS

Known to South Africans as loadshedding, scheduled power cuts imposed by State utility Eskom because of an inability to generate enough electricity to meet demand are the bane of households as well as companies.

Eskom has been struggling to keep its ageing fleet of coal-fired power plants operational. The utility became dysfunctional in part due to a flourishing of corruption during the administration of former president Jacob Zuma from 2009 to 2018.

The government is working to add generating capacity, largely through deals with private companies operating solar and wind projects. While some projects are operational, the green power push suffered setbacks after some projects failed to secure funding.

CORRUPTION

A long series of corruption scandals involving ANC figures or people connected to them has created a perception among many South Africans that the greed of people in office is contributing to poor service delivery for everyone else.

An inquiry established in 2018 to examine allegations of high-level corruption during Zuma's years in power found the problem had been systemic in government, a phenomenon that became known as "state capture". Zuma himself denies any wrongdoing.

Since taking over from Zuma, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said tackling corruption was a priority, but opposition critics say his administration has done too little to stop the rot.

CRIME

South Africa has one of the world's highest rates of violent crime, making it unsafe to venture into certain neighbourhoods. The problem is worse in the densely populated townships on the peripheries of cities where many Black working class people live.

The murder rate for 2022/23 was the highest in 20 years at 45 per 100 000, a 50% increase from a decade ago, police figures show. That is higher than in Honduras, a country plagued by extreme gang violence.

High levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality have created fertile ground for crime to take root in South Africa, compounded by the proliferation of organised criminal groups and a flood of illegal weapons in recent years.

IMMIGRATION

Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has attracted large numbers of refugees and immigrants from other African countries, seeking a safe haven and job opportunities.

The most recent census, in 2022, found that 2.4-million of South Africa's population of 62-million were immigrants, compared with 835 000 in 1996, the year the post-apartheid constitution was promulgated.

Over the years, ...

Congress of the People's (Cope's) Gauteng Premier candidate and chairperson Tom Mofokeng is focussed on ensuring that large multinational companies are able to work with the State to ensure Gauteng is economically sustained.

Speaking exclusively with Polity, he noted that major companies were leaving South Africa's shores, impacting employment and provincial economies.

His major focus will be on manufacturing and steel to ensure development of the country's infrastructure. He said if need be, he would ensure that companies were subsidised to ensure their survival.

"I can push to have that company subsidised because with the steel that comes there, we are going to develop the country, we are going to develop the entire Africa. But not only that, you know, you have just seen what happened with the George disaster. One can only ascribe that to poor quality of building. Now, my priority will be to make sure that steel is manufactured here in South Africa," he pledged.

His second area of focus is petroleum. He said local companies such as Sasol were not given enough opportunities to thrive.

He noted that Sasol provided a large number of jobs and was a large corporate taxpayer in South Africa.

"Why would you prioritise all these other companies that are bringing crude oil and all those kinds of things from outside the country and not concentrate on your own, so that jobs should be created. You can just imagine if we can prioritise that how much of the young people are going to be trained technologically," he pointed out.

Mofokeng also had an eye on fixing electricity supply in the province and said he was not against privatising certain portions of State-owned entity Eskom.

"…because you need the private sector to try and inject money in your major project," he said.

Cope also wanted to professionalise the State by hiring by qualifications, not nepotism, Mofokeng said.

THE MIDDLE CLASS AND THE POOR

Mofokeng believed that Gauteng's middle class had been neglected and said this was the key to ensuring that the poor were uplifted from poverty.

He said the middle class was being denied opportunities to start businesses and employ those who needed jobs.

"Your [small and medium-sized enterprises] are basically a product of your thinkers in the province, and this province has got marvellous people that can take this province to greater heights. Not only that, but I will also look into making sure that middle class families are actually getting growth, in quality and in quantity. What do I mean by that, I mean that many political parties they're making noise, saying 'we want to solve the problem of the poor'. The problem of the poor is not with the poor; it is with the middle class. If you invest in the middle class and give them opportunities to do what they are supposed to do… these are the people that are going to pull the poor, out of poverty, and give them opportunities," Mofokeng stated.

COPE LEADERSHIP

Cope will see its leader Mosiuoa Lekota step down from his position, in line with the party's constitution, which prescribes that a leader can only stay on for two terms.

While Lekota will still be on the May 29 election ballot, the party will hold its national congress only after the May 29 elections to elect its new leader.

The reason for this, Mofokeng revealed, was that the party decided to use the money for its national congress on the party's election campaign.

When asked about the role Lekota would play in the party going forward, Mofokeng said Lekota would be in Cope for a very long time as he still had much to teach from his experience and knowledge of South African politics.

"… that is why we are still going to have him given another responsibility. The party's talking, we can have him as maybe emeritus president, or we can have him maybe as the adviser to the new upcoming president. But those are decisions that can be taken by the conference itself. And who knows, somebody can say, let's change the constitution, because t...

South Africa's top court began hearing legal arguments on Friday on whether ex-president Jacob Zuma can run for parliament, a case whose outcome will affect a wide open national election on May 29 and could cause security problems if he loses.

Zuma, 82, who was forced to quit as president in 2018 and was sentenced to jail in 2021, has fallen out with the ruling African National Congress and has been campaigning for a new party, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

Polls suggest the ANC will lose its majority after 30 years in power, and MK represents a threat to it, especially in Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal where he is popular. His presence on MK's list of candidates is crucial to the party's appeal.

The case stems from a decision in March by South Africa's electoral commission to disqualify Zuma on the basis that the constitution prohibits anyone given a prison sentence of 12 months or longer from holding a parliamentary seat.

In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.

In April, a court overturned the disqualification, saying the relevant section of the constitution applied only to people who had had a chance to appeal against their sentences, which had not been Zuma's case.

The electoral commission challenged that decision in the Constitutional Court, which began hearing the case on Friday with Zuma sitting in the courtroom.

It has not said when it will issue its ruling. Koos Malan, a professor of public law at the University of Pretoria, said he expected the court to act quickly as it would be keenly aware of the charged political situation.

"The court obviously also knows that Mr Zuma has considerable support in KwaZulu Natal. They also know that there is the possibility of a major disruption should Mr Zuma be disqualified to stand as a candidate," he said.

He cited events in July 2021, when news of Zuma's jail sentence triggered riots in the province in which more than 300 people died, and which morphed into a wider spate of looting.

Over 100 of Zuma's supporters gathered outside the court, wearing MK party colours or Zulu traditional attire. The party's merchandise was on sale, and members sang songs praising Zuma's leadership.

MK named itself after the ANC's former armed wing from the apartheid era. The ANC tried to have the party removed from the ballot on the grounds that its name and logo were closely associated with its own history, but an electoral court ruled in MK's favour in March.

Outgoing leader of Congress of the People (Cope) Mosiuoa Lekota said he was following the prescripts of the party's constitution when he announced his retirement but stressed that he is not leaving the party and will stay on for any role the party might need him for.

Speaking exclusively to Polity, Lekota said Cope's constitution prescribed that a leader can only stay on for two terms.

"So, in essence, I'm respecting the constitution. But it doesn't say you must resign from the organisation and go. Most people, I think, think that they must go away so that they don't get instructions from their juniors, but I don't mind that. I'll be able to continue to do the work of the party as a member. And I have completed my two terms. And it's time that I respect the provisions of the constitution," he said.

The party will hold its national congress after the May 29 elections to elect its new leader.

COALITIONS AND THE ANC

Despite recent leadership turbulence in the party, Lekota said he was optimistic about Cope's future after the elections, adding that the party was "pleasantly surprised" to see many people leave the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC) to join Cope.

He spoke of the 'nine wasted years' of State capture corruption under the ANC government and said Cope had a track record that proved the party was incorruptible.

"We never stole public funds. And if we didn't steal public funds, what would make us now change? When we have we not only warned about [corruption], but we refused to steal public funds. And everywhere you put us, we are accountable. We will account, we will tell you this is what we did with our money. So if we have had a record of failing the people we would understand, but we think South Africans can give us a chance and check whether we will betray the commitment of years in jail, in exile and all of that. And the commitment we sustained through all of these years since we came to freedom. It's for the people to judge," Lekota said.

He also noted that the party would be open to coalitions with any party that swears to honour South Africa's Constitution.

He said there must be an agreement between parties about what the focus areas were to help citizens, but warned that if there were any parties that "want to favour their friends, such as the African National Congress does", they will not be considered for a coalition with Cope.

When pushed on whether Cope would consider the ANC as a coalition partner if it gave a commitment to no corruption, Lekota said Cope could commit to this scenario.

"But they cannot go on committing corruption, protecting their friends who are corrupt, including the leaders of their own party who are corrupt, who have been pointed out by Chief Justice [Raymond] Zondo in the [State Capture] Commission [of Inquiry] and so on. Frankly, to do that is corruption of the first order," he said.

He said his view was that there were nine wasted years under the ANC government, which he stated the ANC had itself admitted. He said promises were made to voters but nothing was delivered.

"And you can see the state in which the country is in. There's no electricity, there's no water, communities are in tatters, schools, there's no hospitals. Patients are laying on the floor. So it is the ANC that has passed that judgment on itself. And I can say that, if you look at the record of the Congress of the People, you will not find that at any time, there was any one of the leaders of our party who was caught stealing public funds, who have done all this damage, which has been done. But now, you know, we have leaders that put the money in their pillows, putting it in the sofas, and all of that," he said.

He said the ANC had caused "terrible setbacks" to the country and pointed out that people accused of corruption were still on the ANC's Parliamentary lists.

He blamed the ANC for driving essential skills out of the country and said South Africa was initially in a position to drive manufacturing and...

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday signed into law the Preventing and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill, which he said outlaws the offences of hate crimes and hate speech and the prosecution of persons who commit those offences.

He explained that a hate crime was committed if a person commited any recognised offence under any law that was motivated by prejudice or intolerance on the basis of one or more characteristics or perceived characteristics of the victim.

"The definition of the crime extends to offences targeting the victim's association with or support for a person with one or more of the listed characteristics or a group of persons who share these characteristics," he added.

Ramaphosa highlighted that the legislative measure gave effect to South Africa's obligations in terms of the Constitution and international human rights instruments concerning racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

He said the new Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act provided for the prevention of hate crimes and hate speech, effective enforcement measures and the gathering and recording of data on hate crimes and hate speech.

He explained that the offence of hate speech applied to any person who intentionally published, propagated, advocated, shared or communicated anything to one or more persons in a manner that could reasonably be construed to demonstrate a clear intention to be harmful or to incite harm and to promote or propagate hatred based on defined grounds.

Ramaphosa noted that the law also made it an offence when speech material is intentionally distributed or made available in electronic communication, with the person knowing that such electronic communication constitutes hate speech.

He said the law excluded from the ambit of hate speech anything done in good faith in the course of engagement such as artistic creativity, performance or another form of expression, as well as academic or scientific inquiry.

The law also contained directives on training and other measures to be undertaken by the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure effective processing of the newly defined crimes, he said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and RISE Mzansi have both expressed dissatisfaction with reports that the African National Congress (ANC) has reached out to Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe to be observers in South Africa's May 29 elections.

The DA said the move from the ANC was a "desperate attempt to hang on to power by any means necessary", adding that Zanu-PF's assistance would "contaminate" South Africa's electoral process.

"The ANC's invitation to Zanu-PF asking them to come and be part of their election campaign programme amounts to political interference with our elections. This compromises the Electoral Code of Conduct that all political parties swore to uphold. Zanu-PF does not deserve to even act as an observer to the May elections because this is the same political party that has repeatedly violated Zimbabwe's electoral laws to stay in power. They have burnt Zimbabwe to ashes and should not be brought anywhere near what is the most consequential election in South Africa since the dawn of democracy," said the DA national spokesperson Solly Malatsi.

The DA will file a complaint with South Africa's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for "political interference", citing potential harm of the credibility of the election outcome.

"The DA will do everything in our power to ensure that Zanu-PF is barred from interfering in our elections and is stopped from playing any role in observing the electoral process on 29 May. Zanu-PF has rigged Zimbabwe's elections many times over, they will not do it here in South Africa," Malatsi said.

Meanwhile, RISE Mzansi national spokesperson Gugu Ndima pointed out that Zimbabwe had a history of election interference, election violence and political intolerance and said it was "shocking" that the ANC would "cozy up" with Zanu-PF.

However, she said it was expected from the ANC, which she said was losing legitimacy among voters.

But, she also hit back at the DA, saying the ANC approaching Zanu-PF was no different to the DA approaching the US for election observers.

"This must, in the same breath, be condemned as a stunt and part of the DA's ploy to ingratiate itself in US politics, which are also marked by elections controversy. As RISE Mzansi we fully support the standard practice of having election observers, whether they come from Zimbabwe or the US, but this must be managed by the appropriate authority, that being the Electoral Commission," she said.

RISE Mzansi said it was confident in the IEC's ability to manage the elections.

Secretary to Parliament Xolile George noted on Thursday that Parliament is currently working on creating 54 additional offices, with an envisaged completion date of July, before the commencement of the Seventh Parliament.

George was briefing the media on the reconstruction project, on which he said much work had been ongoing from January 2022.

He announced that Parliament was busy identifying space between the eighth and fourteenth floors, in the 90 Plein Street building, to accommodate the additional offices for MPs.

The 54 new offices will be in addition to the 155 offices that were reconfigured on the fourth and fifth floors, last year.

George highlighted that after the fire, the site was taken over by the law enforcement agencies for investigations and later handed to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

He said Parliament took over the responsibility to manage the works in March 2023, highlighting that a second phase of the work was undertaken to determine the extent of the damage, potential restoration and likely costs associated with various scenarios.

In October last year, R2-billion was appropriated to start the work on the fire that engulfed Parliament.

He said as a result of the studies conducted and subsequent issue of permits by the South African Heritage Resources Agency, limited debris clearance and stabilisation work in safe areas were undertaken during 2023, along with the installation of temporary roofs to protect the building from the weather.

He said assets were verified and a register updated, based on their net book values, and recovered assets were moved to offsite storage.

George noted that some assets were not affected by the fire but had a lower book value.

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.