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This evening, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will turn its attention to preparations for the launch of its manifesto this weekend, as the country watches President Cyril Ramaphosa deliver his eighth State of the Nation Address (SoNA).

All EFF members of Parliament will boycott the SoNA in solidarity with the leaders that were barred from attending, following a High Court ruling.

Last year, EFF members stormed the stage during Ramaphosa's SoNA, in contravention of Parliament's rules.

They were suspended, without pay, from Parliamentary activities for February.

The EFF said on Thursday that it rejected with contempt the court ruling and called it a suppression of democracy and constitutional accountability in South Africa.

The party plans to appeal the ruling.

"It is evident and certainly beyond reasonable doubt, that the courts continue to be part of the Ramaphosa defence mob, whose primary and sole aim is to protect the racist white capitalist establishment. Courts in South Africa have been reduced to being part of the Ramaphosa defence mob because he is a representative and puppet of the white capitalist establishment," the EFF stated.

The party further went on to claim that the judiciary was captured by politicians.

The EFF says it will now focus on the launch of its election manifesto, which is set to take place in Durban on Saturday.

It revealed that the manifesto would address 30 years of "systemic failures" by the African National Congress (ANC) and present a plan of action.

"We call on our Ground Forces to pay maximum and optimal attention to work on the ground until election victory. No amount of intimidation and no amount of apartheid-like suppression of our democratic rights will prevent us from consolidating the ground towards a socialist future. We are the generation that this country has been waiting for, and we shall overcome!" the party said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce the date of this year's general election later this month, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"If you count from tomorrow, the president will announce the election date within 15 days," Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told reporters.

Political analysts say record power cuts, poor service delivery and high levels of unemployment are likely to hurt the governing African National Congress (ANC) party that Ramaphosa, 71, leads, threatening the loss of its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994.

Ramaphosa, who has struggled to rekindle economic growth since taking over from his scandal-plagued predecessor Jacob Zuma in 2018, will seek a second term as president.

Voters will elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the country's nine provinces.

The National Assembly elects the president after the vote.

South Africa's ruling party looks set to lose its outright majority in national elections for the first time since 1994, while support for the populist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) may rise, an Ipsos poll found.

In all three scenarios outlining high, medium and low voter turnout, the African National Congress (ANC) would garner less than 47% of votes, suggesting it would need a coalition with a smaller party to form a government, Ipsos said. It conducted the survey face to face with 3 600 people from October 23 to December 1 and published the results Tuesday.

"In the event of such an election outcome, the ANC would only require a party with about 4% to 6% national support as a coalition partner to establish a national government," Ipsos said in a statement.

The results tally with a Bloomberg survey of political analysts released February 5, which showed that while the ANC risks losing its majority, it should be able to form a governing coalition with smaller parties rather than having to enlist its main rivals. The election must be held by August, though a date has yet to be announced.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) - currently the main opposition - is likely to retain that position, with 20.2% to 21% of the vote across the three turnout scenarios, according to Ipsos. The EFF's support ranges from 16.7% to 18.5%, compared with 10.8% in the 2019 election.

The DA has entered into an alliance known as the Multi-Party Charter with 10 rivals, including the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Freedom Front Plus and Action SA, and they all agreed they won't work with the ANC or the EFF. It's unclear whether any of them might renege on that commitment should their leaders be offered cabinet posts or other positions.

The EFF, which was founded in 2013 by Julius Malema, a former leader of the ANC's youth wing, would be in contention for a power-sharing deal should support for the ruling party drop significantly below 50%. The EFF has had a fractious relationship with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, but has co-ruled with the ANC in some municipalities.

Ipsos canvassed opinions prior to former President Jacob Zuma endorsing the newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe party in December. The ex-leader - who remains popular in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal - was suspended from the ANC in January and his defection may cost the ruling party votes.

Ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Thursday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is hoping that he outlines practical steps government will be taking to cushion consumers from the rising cost of living, particularly the cost of fuel.

On Wednesday, petrol and diesel will increase by 75c and 73c per litre respectively, with Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe saying the adjustments are based on current local and international factors.

DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Kevin Mileham explained that with consumers already struggling to make ends meet owing to escalating cost pressures from food, electricity and transport, the fuel price increase would be devastating for many.

Mileham noted that Ramaphosa should "show leadership" and use his SoNA to provide urgent relief to struggling consumers, saying the African National Congress (ANC) government had spent the past five years evading the subject of unsustainable fuel taxes and levies, "despite clear evidence" these added surcharges on fuel were choking the economy and making life difficult for consumers.

The DA has consistently called for a comprehensive review of the fuel price determination model, with particular emphasis on fuel taxes and levies, to bring it in line with international best practices.

The party wants Ramaphosa to clearly outline how his government will review the fuel price framework and the corresponding tax system which have inflated the fuel retail price and driven up the cost of living.

"Anything short of this is further proof that the ANC is no longer fit to govern, and that they must be voted out in the forthcoming general elections," said Mileham.

GOOD secretary-general and MP Brett Herron said his party wanted Ramaphosa to address the economic growth crisis.

Herron pointed out that there were no plans to address the economic growth crisis that South Africa finds itself in.

"Our economy, which should be the pride of the continent, is instead holding Africa's economy back," he said.

Herron highlighted that South Africa must ramp its public investment in infrastructure - a plan first announced in 2010 - and provide access to funding to stimulate entrepreneurship, which he said had been the subject of numerous plans since 1994.

He added that the energy crisis was a severe constraint on economic growth, saying the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme introduced in August 2020, was intended to procure 2 000 MW to meet the immediate electricity supply gap.

He explained that this was a good plan, but three years later, only five projects totalling 353 MW were under construction.

"The President must address how our independent power producer procurement programmes can be fast-tracked and how we can refine procurement processes so that successful bidders can reach legal and financial close and commence construction a lot faster," said Herron.

PRIORITISING HUMAN RIGHTS

GOOD party noted that the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant did not meet even half of the R760 food poverty line, explaining that this was a further erosion of the dignity of millions of people totally excluded from the economy.

"We'd like to hear from the President that he has instructed the Minister of Finance to make difficult choices and prioritise implementing a basic income support programme in this year's Budget. This new grant should get as close as possible to the lower bound poverty line (R1 058 in May 2023)," the party said.

For the past year, GOOD has campaigned for a R999 Basic Income Grant, with the party saying this is affordable only if waste and excess are cut.

Amnesty International South Africa wants Ramaphosa to fulfil his commitment to uphold and safeguard the human rights of all people living in South Africa with the same fervour demonstrated in advocating for the rights of the Palestinian people.

Amnesty International noted that following the International Court of Justice's ord...

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has promised that it will fix Parliament and turn it into the engine room of reform, once the party is voted into government.

The DA announced its "Blueprint to Rescue SA" on Tuesday, which it said would amount to the "most comprehensive legislative reform agenda since 1994".

Party leader John Steenhuisen said once the DA was in government its first Budget would contain no tax increases, no bracket creep, and it would start to reduce the unaffordable wage and debt bills that "suffocate the economy".

Within the first 100 days in office, Steenhuisen announced that the DA would introduce legislation aimed at rescuing the country from five key sources of State collapse.

He stated that out of all the political parties in South Africa, the DA was probably the one with the greatest appreciation for the true role of Parliament.

He highlighted that in addition to prioritising the physical reconstruction of Parliament, the DA published a comprehensive plan, last year, in which it laid out how it would make Parliament work again for the people.

"We will do this by creating a committee to oversee the Presidency, increasing the frequency of presidential questions, and introducing penalties when members of the executive fail to answer questions," he said.

Steenhuisen highlighted that based on the model used in the Western Cape legislature, the DA would also reintroduce interpellations, which are snap debates that force Ministers to account.

He added that the DA would empower opposition MPs to serve as committee chairs, to show the party's seriousness on oversight and accountability.

Steenhuisen promised that the party would also end loadshedding by embracing privatisation, and abolish cadre deployment in favour of merit-based appointments.

Steenhuisen highlighted that within the first 100 days in power, the DA would table legislation to rapidly increase private electricity generation and transmission.

He said the DA would reintroduce its Bill to create an Independent Transmission System and Market Operator, saying this entity would be mandated to urgently establish a fully private market for the trading and distribution of electricity.

Steenhuisen noted that South Africa's next government would either be "a coalition of corruption" with the ANC and EFF at its heart, which he added will "seal this country's fate".

Or, he said, the country would see a Multi-Party Charter government with the DA at its heart, which he said would implement the most comprehensive legislative reform agenda seen in more than a generation.

Steenhuisen stressed that the DA was committed to serving as the anchor of a new multi-party government, and said it would carry its Blueprint into coalition negotiations.

He revealed that in the first budget tabled by a new multi-party government, the DA would push for the introduction of an expanded R75 000 tax rebate to further encourage private households to install solar energy.

The DA's Blueprint will push to abolish cadre deployment by introducing legislation that outlaws it.

"By expanding on our End Cadre Deployment Bill, we will make it a criminal offence for any politician to interfere in appointment processes, and remove powers of appointment, promotion and dismissal from politicians," he said.

Instead, the DA wants to fundamentally reform the Public Service Commission to become an independent custodian of the public sector, with a mandate to ensure that all appointments are based strictly on merit and skill.

Steenhuisen noted that his party was looking forward to the outcome of its court challenges to expose the ANC's complete cadre deployment records and to declare "this evil practice" unconstitutional.

"Success in these court cases will pave the way for us to wipe cadre deployment corruption from the face of South Africa," he noted.

He said the party will also prioritise crime fighting, with the introduction of the Scorpions 2.0 through a constitutional amendment. This will create an i...

Risk body, the Institute of Risk Management South Africa (Irmsa) has warned that it is essential to deal with corruption in South Africa if the country is to begin repairing its "poly-crisis".

According to the latest global ranking of perceptions of corruption, South Africa has fallen to its lowest level ever recorded, scoring 41 out of 100 on the globally respected Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

Irmsa said this finding was consistent with its own analysis in its '2023 Risk Report', and it was concerned that the CPI rating posed an even greater challenge to the risk response strategies identified in the Irmsa report, which aim to create an environment in which to retain and attract foreign investment.

Irmsa chief risk adviser Christopher Palm said corruption was the central issue underlying other risks such as economic collapse, failing infrastructure and poor service delivery.

"Our CPI score is another warning sign that we're edging closer to becoming a failed State. It puts us in the global spotlight, further deterring foreign investment after our concerning greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force last year," he pointed out.

He believes accountability and consequence management are key in tackling corruption, however, he pointed out that officials accused of corruption during the Zondo Commission hearings had yet to be held to account while investigating and prosecuting bodies such as the National Prosecuting Authority and the Investigating Directorate need to remain independent to operate effectively.

"It's clear that we have not put in place the measures required to arrest our poly-crisis fast enough. I have heard prominent chief risk officers in the public and private sectors refer to a perma-crisis, meaning that the risk profile reported and currently materialising at pace may be here to stay," said Palm.

Risk managers had a role to play in ensuring that corruption was tackled within their respective organisations, he added, and advised that this could be done through the protection of whistleblowers.

Further, he said the 2024 national elections presented South Africans with an opportunity to be "active citizens" by voting in ethical leaders.

"We all have a part to play in tackling corruption whether it's through active democratic participation or within our organisations. While tackling corruption seems like a monumental task, it's more important than ever for us to take action by demanding accountability and fostering a culture of transparency," he ended.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen promised on Tuesday that if President Cyril Ramaphosa rams through the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, the DA will immediately take him to court to protect the country's health system against what the DA calls the African National Congress's (ANC's) gutting of the country's health system.

Steenhuisen was outlining the DA's blueprint to "rescue South Africa" after the 2024 general elections, when he said a new government would immediately prepare to introduce a new Budget to reflect its new priorities.

He said the DA would bury the ANC's "job-killing policies", including land expropriation without compensation, the nationalisation of mines, farms, industry and the Reserve Bank, as well as the "madness" of the NHI.

Steenhuisen said the DA fully supported the call by business leaders for Ramaphosa not to sign what is widely being called an "unconstitutional" NHI Bill, and to instead refer it back to Parliament. He applauded Business Unity South Africa and Business for SA for taking what he described as a principled stand against the NHI, after they also urged the President to refer the Bill back to Parliament.

The NHI Bill was passed by the National Council of Provinces in late 2023, and sent to Ramaphosa to be signed into law. Government has stood firm in its support for the Bill, brushing off warnings that it undermines universal healthcare instead of advancing its progress.

However, the Bill has been sharply criticised by doctors, health facility providers, and health insurance companies.

Steenhuisen noted that the process that led to the Bill ignored public input and said the Bill itself was riddled with unconstitutional clauses.

On December 14, the DA wrote to Ramaphosa imploring him to refer the NHI Bill back to Parliament, making the point that given the flaws in the Bill, it was, in fact, his constitutional duty to refer it back.

Last month, the DA received a response from Ramaphosa's Parliamentary Counsellor Gerhard Koornhof. Steenhuisen noted that without even so much as addressing the substance of the party's request, Koornhof simply said:

"You are kindly reminded that the DA participated in the Parliamentary process related to this Bill. The Bill was thereafter approved by both Houses, in a Parliamentary process in which the DA participated."

Steenhuisen criticised Ramaphosa for seeing fit to send such a "politically-motivated response", which in no way dealt with the issue of the unconstitutionality of the Bill. He said this demonstrated that the ANC was putting the country's health sector at risk purely for political reasons.

"Ramaphosa's apparent determination to ram this Bill through apparently to stick it to the DA, would be a violation of his constitutional duty to this country. We, therefore, also welcome the announcement by business leaders that they are considering legal action against Ramaphosa if he persists along this route," he said.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND JOB CREATION

Meanwhile, Steenhuisen highlighted that if it came into power, the DA's "jobs-friendly" Budget would redirect priorities from destructive policies, towards job creation.

He said for the first time in three decades, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, investors and hard-working South Africans would see a Budget that respected them.

"For too long, the ANC has viewed economic growth with suspicion, and the people who create jobs as the enemy. With the DA in government, investor sentiment will soar and our new Budget will kickstart economic growth and job creation," he added.

The immediate stimulus of a jobs-friendly new Budget will be followed by the introduction of the DA's Responsible Spending Bill and the Social Impact Bill. The former will introduce a debt rule that limits the amount of debt any government can add to the fiscus.

The race-based Black Economic Empowerment will be replaced with "means-tested" empowerment that will benefit the 30-million people who still live in poverty and who...

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) risks losing its majority in this year's elections, but should be able to form a governing coalition with smaller parties rather than having to enlist its main rivals, a survey of political analysts shows.

Support for the ANC is expected to drop to 48%, from 57% five years ago, according to the median estimate of 14 analysts canvassed by Bloomberg between January 26 and February 2, with just two forecasting that the party will win more than half the vote. The main opposition Democratic Alliance is expected to garner 22% backing, and the populist Economic Freedom Fighters - currently the third-largest party - 12.5%.

Founded in 1912, the ANC has ruled since White-minority rule ended in 1994. Its reputation took a hammering during President Jacob Zuma's nine-year rule, which was marred by endemic corruption and the collapse of key state institutions.

While the ANC forced Zuma to step down in 2018, his successor Cyril Ramaphosa has struggled to tackle widely pervasive poverty and unemployment, end crippling power cuts and stamp out graft - factors that are expected to cost it support.

"I think the ANC will be able to cobble together a desperate coalition. The ANC's electoral support is in free-fall, but it still has the biggest electoral machine of any organization in the country. It can therefore do a lot in terms of getting out the vote, but even that machinery cannot cope with the level of government failures and scandals that are drawing people away from the ANC. - Lukhanyo Vangqa, independent analyst.

The election must be held by August, although a date has yet to be announced.

Most of the analysts emphasized that campaigning is still at an early stage and the outlook could change as the vote draws nearer. Their predictions of the outcome are broadly in line with those of several recent opinion polls.

"It is impossible to say at the moment what the percentage breakdown will be, because a lot will be determined by how many voters turn out on election day." - Zwelethu Jolobe, head of the University of Cape Town's political studies department.

If the ANC does win slightly less than half the vote, potential partners include the GOOD party, whose leader Patricia de Lille serves as tourism minister in Ramaphosa's cabinet, the Patriotic Alliance and Al Jama-ah.

The DA has entered into an alliance known at the Multi-Party Charter with 10 rivals, including the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Freedom Front Plus and Action SA, and they all agreed they won't work with the ANC or the EFF. It's unclear whether any of them might renege on that commitment should their leaders be offered cabinet posts and other positions.

"If the ANC had to lose an outright majority, it will still, more than likely, be the party with the largest percentage and the most number of seats in parliament. Who they would ask to join them would depend on how far away from an overall majority they are." - Sanusha Naidu, analyst at the Institute for Global Dialogue.

The EFF, which was founded in 2013 by Julius Malema, a former leader of the ANC's youth wing, would be in contention for a power-sharing deal should support for the ruling party drop significantly below 50%. The EFF has had a fractious relationship with Ramaphosa, but it has co-ruled with the ANC in some municipalities.

"The worst case for the ANC would be if they drop to 45%. Then they would have to invite one of the larger opposition parties to join them in government. The question is who? I think it would probably be the Inkatha Freedom Party, because both are nationalist in outlook and their policies are broadly similar." - Melanie Verwoerd, independent analyst.

Zuma is a wild card in the election. In December, he announced he'll campaign for the newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe party and last month the ANC suspended him from its ranks. The former president remains popular in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal and his defection may cost the ANC votes.

Ram...

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) extended its gratitude to the thousands of South Africans who have registered to vote using the online platform and by visiting the IEC's registration stations.

The IEC held its second voter registration weekend on February 3 and 4, which saw more than one-million people register to vote.

South Africa is set to hold its general election later this year.

At the close of registration on day one, more than half a million registrations were recorded at 23 303 voting stations.

At 13:00 on Sunday, a total of 564 715 registration transactions had been recorded at voting stations.

On Saturday, the Commission recorded 67 200 online registrations, while Sunday saw 34 293.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 131 341 registrations; Gauteng 116 284; Eastern Cape 93 839; Limpopo 57 442; Mpumalanga 41 793; Western Cape Cape 38 425; North West 36 834; Free State 33 958; Northern Cape 13 696 and out of country recorded 1 013.

The commission noted that its online facility and local municipal offices will remain open for registration and verification of details until the date of the elections is proclaimed by the President.

The Commission reminded eligible voters that a person votes at a voting station where they are registered.

The only exception to the general rule is that a voter may vote outside of the voting district of registration upon notification to the Commission by a date to be regulated by the Election Timetable.

Last week, IEC chief electorate officer Sy Mamabolo lauded the commission's achievement of a milestone of 27-million people on the voters' roll ahead of the second registration weekend.

The commission announced that it recorded just under 200 000 new registrations since the registration weekend in November last year - overall registration activities in that period stood at 298 000.

While the recently launched African Continental Free Trade Area will provide advantages for South African companies, the efficiency and competitiveness of the country's logistics architecture needs to improve, which President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured will happen.

In his weekly letter to the nation, the President acknowledged that the State-owned Transnet's ports and rail lines have been in operational decline, also adding extreme pressure to the country's roads, however, he said by working together, the private sector and government are seeing positive results, steered by Transnet's Freight Logistics Roadmap.

"The roadmap outlines a clear set of actions to stabilise and improve Transnet's performance in the short term and to fundamentally reform the logistics system in the long term. To ensure this work receives dedicated attention, we established the National Logistics Crisis Committee, which is chaired by the Presidency and brings together all of the relevant government departments to drive a coordinated response to the logistics challenges. We have also established Corridor Recovery Teams which bring Transnet, the private sector and independent experts together to improve the performance of strategic rail and port corridors," he said.

In highlighting port improvements, Ramaphosa noted that port congestion in Durban had reduced significantly from over 60 ships waiting to berth in mid-November to 12 by the end of January.

The Port of Cape Town has received seven new cranes for stacking and vessel turnaround times will be improved through increased work shifts.

The Freight Logistics Roadmap, meanwhile, hoped to improve logistics and allow for infrastructure investment with the help of the private sector and competition between rail and port, whilst ensuring that infrastructure was State-owned, Ramaphosa asserted.

"A key milestone in this reform journey will be the implementation of 'open access' to the freight rail network, which will allow private rail operators to invest alongside Transnet Freight Rail for the first time. Another key step is the introduction of strategic partnerships in container terminals, which will enable new investment to expand port capacity and upgrade equipment. Progress has already been made with the appointment by Transnet of an international container terminal operator for the Durban Pier 2 terminal," he explained.

Assurances that no jobs will be lost, while Transnet owns 51% of the terminal remain at the forefront of the partnership.

Terminal management will fall to the private partner and it will contribute capital and expertise.

"The process of reform takes time and there are no quick solutions to the challenges facing Transnet. However, the steps we are taking now will not only improve performance in the immediate term, but will also create a truly competitive and efficient system into the future," Ramaphosa stated.