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President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Monday that with the advent of 24 hour news, the proliferation of social and community media and the speed with which information is disseminated in the digital age, it is nearly impossible for mass atrocities to occur under conditions of secrecy.

In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa pointed out that several western countries, some of which had a presence in Rwanda in 1994, later said they were not aware of the extent of the killings during the genocide.

"Thirty years later, no country or international body can any longer say 'we didn't know' and use that claim as justification for a failure to act," he said.

He added that ignorance cannot be claimed about what is happening in Gaza as, unlike in Rwanda in 1994, the atrocities are being televised, written about, tweeted and live-streamed.

Ramaphosa noted that it was now close to six months since Israel unleashed a campaign of violence on the people of Gaza in response to the attack on Israel by Hamas.

More than 32 000 Gazans have been killed subsequently. According to the United Nations (UN) Children's Fund, about 13 000 of these casualties are children. Civilians, non-combatants, women, persons with disabilities, journalists and aid workers have also been killed.

Late last year, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague for violating its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, with respect to its actions in Gaza.

"The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the UN, pronounced on a set of provisional measures that Israel should take to prevent the commission of all acts falling within the scope of the Genocide Convention. The Court directed Israel, among other things, to ensure that its military does not commit such acts, to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide, and to enable the provision of urgently needed basic service and humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza," Ramaphosa reminded.

He said in clear defiance of the legally binding order, Israel had intensified its violence against the residents of Gaza.

"These people are now also facing starvation and famine as the delivery of aid continues to be disrupted, including the killing of humanitarian and aid workers," he noted.

Last week, the ICJ issued additional measures, ordering Israel to take the necessary and effective measures to ensure "unhindered provision at scale" of basic services and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

The Court accepted South Africa's argument that, contrary to what Israel claimed, the UN agencies were not being assisted to get aid flowing into Gaza.

The court also ordered Israel to "ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit acts which constitute a violation of any of the rights of the Palestinians in Gaza as a protected group" under the Genocide Convention.

RWANDAN GENOCIDE

Ramaphosa said atrocities, gross human rights violations and genocide should never carry less weight because of the race, ethnicity or religious affiliation of the victims.

"We owe it to the victims of all the world's genocides to not betray their memories by looking away, by failing to act, or worst of all, by claiming we didn't know," he said.

He noted that the Rwandan genocide was one of the darkest chapters in human history and an atrocity that unfolded as the world looked on and failed to act.

He added that there was little intervention from the international community despite the Genocide Convention having been in existence for nearly half a century, in the aftermath of the Second World War.

In spite of this, he said the Rwandan genocide was allowed to happen in the face of "callous indifference" by the international community.

"It was only several decades later that a number of these 'bystanders to the genocide' apologised for failing to act as the killings happened. As th...

Following the corruption scandal around former Drakenstein mayor Conrad Poole, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced the election of Stephen Korabie as the new mayor in the Western Cape municipality.

Poole was removed through a motion of no confidence in February following allegations of corruption against him, brought by the GOOD party.

Korabie, a Proportional Representative for the DA, has served in council since 2021.

"He brings with him years of experience, an outstanding work ethic and dedication towards serving the people of Drakenstein. The Governance Performance Index report has recently named Drakenstein the best-run secondary city in the country, and we are confident that Mayor Korabie will continue to build on the many successes already achieved in the municipality," the party said.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) noted on Friday that although the current version of the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB) is a major improvement from previous ones and a step in the right direction, there are still some concerns for civil society organisations.

Last month, Parliament's National Assembly adopted the new GILAB.

Outa regards the third iteration of the Bill as an improvement on the first two versions, and views the "omission of the draconian provisions" as a victory for civil society.

The organisation raised concerns with the failure by GILAB to give sufficient powers to the Auditor-General, the Inspector-General of Intelligence, and Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to oversee the Secret Services expenditure of R4.865-billion in 2024/25.

The organisation highlighted that although the Inspector-General of Intelligence could appoint their own staff and determine the organisational structure, they still could not make legally binding decisions or recommendations.

"…which means that their investigations into malfeasance are unlikely to lead to any form of accountability," explained Outa.

GILAB will now proceed to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for further consideration.

"…although it is noted that, since it is a Section 75 Bill (on ordinary Bill not affecting provinces), the NCOP need not concur with the Bill for it to be passed," Outa pointed out.

The organisation said, more than ever, South Africa needed an active civil society that could hold government to account, adding that any measures by the State to interfere with or hamper civil activism was a recipe for authoritarian conduct that would stifle the organisation's work.

Outa noted some of the improvements on the new GILAB, highlighting the removal of the security vetting provision in some instances.

It also noted that the previous Bill had a broad definition of "person or institution of national security interest" which granted excessive authority to State intelligence agencies to conduct mandatory security vetting.

It is concerned about this lack of clarity regarding the criteria for identification and the potential for abuse of power.

The previous versions of GILAB propose to expand the mass interception surveillance powers of State security agencies through the National Communications Centre (NCC) without adequate safeguards for privacy and freedom of expression.

Outa noted that the oversight mechanisms outlined fell short of constitutional standards and risked granting unchecked surveillance powers to the government.

It added that the current version of GILAB required intelligence services to seek approval from a judge to conduct mass interception and that judge must be appointed by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice.

Outa said that the GILAB now included more stringent oversight over data collected by the NCC and clearly recognised the safeguards of the Protection of Personal Information Act.

"Although some of the problematic broad definitions, such as "national security", still remain in GILAB, it is commendable that the ill-defined term "potential opportunity", which was contained in the older versions of GILAB, has been removed," Outa said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Friday called on voters to prevent what it termed an African National Congress-Economic Freedom Fighters-uMkhonto weSizwe Party (ANC-EFF-MKP) Doomsday Coalition, by voting for the DA.

Last year during the party's Federal Congress, DA leader John Steenhuisen warned that the ANC, EFF and their proxies in small parties such as the Patriotic Alliance, were converging towards forming a "doomsday coalition" after the 2024 general election.

Steenhuisen noted on Thursday EFF leader Julius Malema said in an interview that he would "give the EFF vote to the ANC" if the party did not reach 50% of electoral support, on the condition that his deputy Floyd Shivambu becomes Minister of Finance.

"Malema added that this is because 'you need a radical' to take control of South Africa's purse strings. This morning, the EFF's secretary-general, Marshall Dlamini, added that land expropriation without compensation and the nationalisation of mines would form some of the 'cardinal pillars' of its planned Doomsday Coalition with the ANC," Steenhuisen stated.

He said with these comments, the EFF leadership had, for the first time, publicly confirmed that the DA had been right all along.

"Malema's confirmation that the Doomsday Coalition we foresaw is now taking shape, only serves to galvanise the DA's determination to succeed. The single best way to avert, oppose and combat the Doomsday Coalition, is to vote for the DA," he said.

Steenhuisen said an "EFF doomsday" would make the collapse of Zimbabwe "look like a dress-rehearsal", and said it would leave all South Africans destitute.

He warned that the "EFF doomsday coalition" would expropriate property without compensation and abolish private property rights, and would nationalise and destroy foreign investment, businesses, banks and mines.

The "EFF doomsday coalition" would plunge this country into ethnic and racial conflict the likes of which it had never witnessed before, claimed Steenhuisen.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has urged the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to be on alert during what he calls a watershed election.

Speaking at the IEC's National Code of Conduct and Ballot Paper Draw in Johannesburg on Thursday, Steenhuisen pointed out that South Africa's political landscape was maturing, with democracy in "a fundamental transition into a new era of truly competitive elections".

He believes that for the first time in 30 years, South Africa will see an end to one-party rule and warned of the risk of such a change.

"We have already observed how the impending loss of power by a once-dominant party has opened up space for radicalism and violent threats. I wish to emphasise to the IEC today that the competitive new political reality that confronts us places enormous responsibilities on the shoulders of this Chapter 9 institution. This moment in history calls upon the IEC to serve as the midwife for South Africa's transition to a truly mature, competitive democracy. It is a task in which the IEC dare not fail," he said.

Along with a call for more accredited international observers during the elections, which Steenhuisen said presented South Africa's democracy with the greatest opportunity and challenge, he wanted the IEC to take action on any issues threatening to undermine the integrity and outcome of the election.

He assured voters of the DA's commitment to safeguard the process and said the party was also energised and excited by the county's maturing democracy.

"We are working flat-out to ensure that we use this opportunity to bring positive change to the people. Our commitment is to protect South Africa from those who would exploit the end of one-party rule to foster anarchy. Our commitment is to ensure that, after the fall of one-party rule, South Africa emerges from the 2024 election with a more robust, mature and healthy democracy than ever before," he said.

South African prosecutors on Thursday charged former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula with corruption and money laundering, a day after she resigned following an inquiry into alleged graft during her time as defence minister.

She was granted bail by a court in the capital Pretoria shortly after the charges were made public. Mapisa-Nqakula, has denied any wrongdoing.

Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, whose residence was raided by investigators last month as part of the inquiry, had also resigned as a member of the parliament on Wednesday.

Lead prosecutor Bheki Manyathi told the Pretoria Magistrate's Court that Mapisa-Nqakula was being charged with 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering.

"The court is satisfied that the amount initially suggested (for bail) of R50 000 is adequate in this matter," Magistrate Anna Oosthuizen said in a ruling. As part of bail conditions, Mapisa-Nqakula must surrender her passport.

The case will be back in court on June 4.

In an affidavit before the ruling, a lawyer for Mapisa-Nqakula argued that the former speaker was not a flight risk and that she voluntarily had come to court.

Mapisa-Nqakula earlier this week lost a court bid to prevent authorities from arresting her. She handed herself over to police earlier on Thursday before appearing in court.

A veteran of the governing African National Congress who was defence minister from 2012 to 2021, Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of receiving millions of rand in cash as bribes from a former military contractor.

"My resignation is in no way an indication or admission of guilt regarding the allegations being levelled against me," she said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have not publicly disclosed the details surrounding the allegations or evidence against her. They did not object to her bail.

With 27.7-million people on the certified voters roll, South Africa has not seen such a level of voter registration since the establishment of the voters roll in 1999.

This revelation was made by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Mosotho Moepya as he addressed the signing of the Electoral Code of Conduct, undertaken by political parties contesting the elections.

He stressed the IEC's readiness to hold the elections as South Africa commemorates 30 years of democracy, on April 27.

"Today we stand before South Africa and her people to affirm our readiness to conduct an election which accords with constitutional yardsticks and international norms. We give this affirmation of readiness, alive to the enormity of the challenge that rests on our hands. We stand ready to assiduously ensure that we do not let the motherland down, for otherwise history will have a deleterious account of our charge of this task. This is our readiness report," he said.

Providing updates in various sectors, Moepya noted that since the IEC launched its online registration portal in July 2021, 2.4-million voters used it to register for the first time or to change their personal details.

He said owing to the efficacy of the portal, the registration of young persons is beginning to show initial signs of recovery.

People aged 20 to 29 make up 48.6% of registrations while those in the 18 to 19 age group make up 27% of registrations.

"Coming off a low registration base, the historical under-representation of young persons on the voters roll is showing welcome signs of amelioration. This can only bode well for the future of electoral democracy in the country," Moepya said.

Female voters stand at 15.3-million, while 12.4-million potential voters are males.

Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal jointly account for 44% of the voters in the country.

Gauteng has 6.5-million voters and KwaZulu-Natal has 5.7-million. The Eastern Cape comes in third with 3.4-million registered voters.

The IEC will publish a list of all voting stations on April 12, the network of which has grown to 23 292.

There are 14 903 candidates competing for 887 seats in the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures.

There will be 202 000 voting officials overseeing the electoral process at voting stations across the country, and who are undergoing hybrid training involving online and practical modules.

Additionally, a new category of staff will be instituted this year, to improve the quality of counting and the completion of results slips, and will support the presiding officer during the counting process.

Three such staff members will be appointed to each voting station and each substation that operates a voting center.

DISINFORMATION

Moepya urged the media to report ethically and without fear or favour during the elections but also had words of caution for political parties and citizens on spreading false information that could affect the credibility of the electoral process.

Further, he urged political role players to respect the role of the media in the information ecosystem and to be responsible for their safety.

"Let us collectively uphold the ideals of democracy and demonstrate our commitment to credible and transparent elections. As leaders of political parties and as citizens, let us lead by example, fostering an electoral environment characterised by trust, integrity and respect for all. For its part, the IEC commits itself to pronounce and electoral outcome rooted in the choices of the South African voter. As with any electoral contest, the choice of the voter is paramount and it is that choice of the voter that the commission commits to pronounce as an electoral outcome," he said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to hand over all of his personal emails, WhatsApp's and other communication during his position as African National Congress (ANC) cadre deployment chairperson.

The DA has won a seminal case finding the ANC and its secretary-general Fikile Mbalula guilty of contempt of court.

Last month, the DA approached the court on an urgent basis after the ANC "redacted, destroyed and withheld" records of its cadre deployment committee dating back to January 2013, when Ramaphosa became its chairperson.

In its ruling, the court specifically condemned the "ANC's contemptuous failure" to disclose communications and records held by Ramaphosa.

"The court noted that "in particular, [the ANC] was obliged to disclose communication relating to the committee's work by, and involving, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was the chairperson of the committee between 2013 and 2018," said DA Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration Dr Leon Schreiber.

He noted that the ruling confirms "beyond all doubt" that the ANC was a "lawless criminal syndicate" that hid the fact that its "corrupt cadre deployment committee" was the root cause of State capture, corruption and service delivery failure.

"As a result of today's ruling, the DA calls on Ramaphosa to act in accordance with his position as President of South Africa in order to bring an end to this escalating constitutional crisis triggered by his party, by abiding by the ruling and handing over to the DA all of his personal emails, WhatsApp's and other communication revealing the role he personally played in State capture through his position as ANC cadre deployment chairperson," he said.

Schreiber said the court agreed with the DA that the behaviour by the ANC, in violation of a court order upheld by the Constitutional Court, amounted to "wilful" and "mala fide" contempt of court.

The court ordered the ANC to pay the DA's full costs for the application, and to, within 15 days, give effect to the original court order by providing to the DA all of the information that has already been disclosed and that is further required to be disclosed in unredacted form so as to ensure all names of persons are legible.

The court has ordered the ANC to provide to the DA all of the information related to the processes and decisions of the ANC cadre deployment committee during the period 1 January 2013 to 1 January 2021, including minutes, draft minutes, notes, attendance registers, communications and decisions of the deployment committee whether prepared by or communicated to staff members of the ANC, members of the committee, chairpersons of the committee, and government officials.

The DA must also be furnished with emails, WhatsApp's and other social media communications between and among members of the committee and between committee members, committee chairpersons and government officials.

The court ordered the ANC to hand over the personal email, hard drive and laptop of ANC official Thapelo Masilela and the laptop of ANC official Lungi Mtshali.

South African policymakers are in discussions on lowering the central bank's inflation target, its governor said on Wednesday, adding that a lower target would make the country more competitive and bring the central bank in line with peers.

Lesetja Kganyago told Reuters he personally preferred a decision that would lower the target from its current range of between 3% and 6% "before we get to 2025", but that teams from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and National Treasury were still identifying the appropriate range and risks associated with it.

"Our teams are in conversation now," Kganyago said in an interview. "The teams will advise the governor and the (finance) minister and say ok this is the appropriate target and this is the appropriate timeline within which we have got to achieve the target."

South Africa introduced its inflation-targeting framework in 2000, and had planned to lower the target to 3%-5% and then 2%-4%. But the target was never lowered, something Kganyago views as a big mistake and has been vocal about for years.

He said the current band was too wide and served to anchor inflation expectations higher than the bank would like.

Regarding the general elections in May, he said there was huge uncertainty about the outcome which was "keeping the country's risk premium elevated", referring to the additional return investors demand to compensate them for local risks.

Kganyago, whose term as SARB governor was extended for another 5 years last month, said President Cyril Ramaphosa had tried to mitigate some of the uncertainty surrounding South Africa by ensuring stability in the leadership of key institutions like the revenue service and central bank.

Asked what he wanted to achieve in his third term starting in November, Kganyago said "the job on the inflation front is not yet done".

Over the longer term, the key to reducing the country's risk premium lies in prudent macroeconomic and fiscal policies, he said.

Inflation picked up to 5.6% year-on-year in February, and the bank only sees it falling to 4.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Kganyago dismissed the idea of using explicit forward guidance on interest rates as a way to further rein in inflation expectations, saying bank officials did not view it as a useful tool.

Following the launch of his party's 2024 election manifesto last month, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba sat down with Polity, setting out the party's blueprint to "fix SA" and reiterating that he is unapologetic about his stance on illegal immigration.

He said he could not understand why people would want to allow non-nationals to arrive in South Africa, undocumented.

"This country was built on the backs of migrants and we must continue doing this. We must have red carpets for people of the world to come here, to come and invest, to come and holiday, to come and live here but they must come here legally and when they are here they must respect the laws of our country, anything outside that is unacceptable. You come into our country illegally, you commit crime, we will not hesitate to send you back to your country after serving a term in jail," Mashaba stated.

If ActionSA is given the mandate to govern, Mashaba has promised that upon birth, children will be issued with a birth certificate, youth that turn 16 will be issued with an identity document and upon a person's death, a death certificate will be issued.

"We are unapologetic about this. I think I have been very clear from the 1 December 2016 when I was the mayor of the City of Johannesburg. I don't want to live in a country where there is one undocumented South African," he said.

COALITIONS

When asked about how the party would implement its policies in a coalition government, Mashaba said, "We accept that SA has entered an era of coalitions, that means compromise. You leave your arrogance out and look at the bigger picture."

He believes the African National Congress (ANC) will not garner 50% support in the upcoming May election.

As a result, he believes coalitions will come into play and is urging South Africans to give ActionSA the mandate to govern.

"South Africans can trust ActionSA; under our leadership, we've got an experienced leader who respects other political leaders. It is for that reason we are asking South Africans, make us the biggest party in the event we don't get an outright majority, so that we can lead this coalition because we understand that under a coalition arrangement we will not really be able to implement all our policies. We've got to accommodate all other parties so that it's a coalition arrangement that works for South Africa and not one political party," he said.

ENERGY & GRANTS

Mashaba stressed the need to professionalise flailing State-owned power utility Eskom, and to allow private sector participation and competition in the energy sector.

He touted the idea of regional grids, telling the success story of a municipality in the Free State.

He said this story should be used as a template for the rest of the country, where municipalities could produce their own energy and take the strain off Eskom.

"Eskom must immediately run on a commercial basis. And allow private sector competition in competing with [it]," he stressed.

Meanwhile, ActionSA wants South Africans to be less dependent on government grants, with a plan to create more jobs to allow people a more sustainable and constant means of income.

The party has done a study showing that 4.8-million jobs could allegedly be created in the first five years of its rule, by stimulating the economy and being tougher on crime.

"I have a sense that this ANC government wants to keep black people poor and dependent on the State. Deal with labour, revise our draconian labour laws, free them to make sure that people can employ those who want to work. All those factories that are closed, give them to the private sector to employ our people and those that want to work. As ActionSA we are prepared in the first few years to assist those who need help with a stimulus. But what we want South Africans to judge us on is how many people we will take off government dependence," Mashaba said.

CRIME AND CORRUPTION

ActionSA's reforms for policing include ethical leaders for the head of police, as well as training ...