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Business committed to building SA, Ramaphosa says after Ntshavheni's accusation

More than a week after Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni accused the private sector of engineering the state's collapse, President Cyril Ramaphosa said business' current partnership with government illustrates how committed they are to the country. Ramaphosa and business issued a joint statement on Wednesday after Cabinet met with business leaders as part of their initiative to deal with the country's energy, transport, and logistics, as well as crime and corruption problems. "Since we began, we have made significant progress in establishing structures and ways of working, mobilising resources and driving implementation of key actions. We see this partnership as evidence of the business community's commitment to building our country and overcoming the challenges that we face," Ramaphosa said in a statement. At a post-Cabinet briefing last week, Ntshavheni was asked about a long-standing probe into rand manipulation that involves 28 banks. She said that "the performance of the economy has been manipulated by [the] private sector, [which] has no interest in the development of this country", adding that the private sector continued to "engineer and do machinations to ensure the government collapses". Business Unity SA said it hoped Ntshavheni would reconsider her comments and it would "raise it with government through the partnership".BUSA president and Discovery CEO Adrian Gore said in Wednesday's joint statement that there had been some movement on collaboration structures with government. Some of the highlighted successes include over 1 000MW of power generation capacity, establishing the Rail Infrastructure Manager for Transnet - which opens the doors to third-party train operators, and establishing a digital and financial Forensic Analysis Centre. "Despite these initial successes… the pace of delivery across the initiative seems to be plateauing, mainly as a result of delays in regulatory and other approvals, as well as slippage on the implementation of strategic plans, and the alignment of these to workable funding solutions," Gore said. Next story,

'I don't think there should be any panic': Ramaphosa won't just sign NHI Bill into law

President Cyril Ramaphosa won't simply sign the controversial National Health Insurance Bill into law. "I don't think there should be any panic," Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said at a briefing on Wednesday, just hours before the National Council of Provinces vote on whether or not to accept the Bill in its current form. "Concerns have been expressed directly to the president [about] certain parts of the Bill. Once the Bill has been passed, the president still has a constitutional imperative in processing that Bill before he signs it. He will look at the process. One of the things he will look at is, has there been sufficient consultation and if so, have those consultations sufficiently addressed the issues of concern," Magwenya explained. He said it was within Ramaphosa's remit to send back a bill if he has any concerns. "The passing of the Bill doesn't necessarily mark the conclusion of the process. The president does not, each time he receives a Bill, just sign it as a given. If he so desires, he can open another round of consultation to satisfy himself that what he will sign will not be subjected to endless litigation," the spokesperson added. He was briefing the media about Ramaphosa's diary. In an unprecedented move, business organisations have written to the presiding officers of the NCOP as well as Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who is the leader of government business, urgently appealing to put a stop to the bill. Last week, the NCOP Select Committee on Health and Social Services adopted the bill without any amendments to the version passed by the National Assembly, despite intense lobbying from Business Unity SA, Business for SA, and healthcare professionals. Also making hea...

Power utility Eskom says it will implement Stage 6 loadshedding from 20:00 on Tuesday night until 05:00 on Wednesday morning, to replenish emergency reserves.

Stage 6 will be implemented every night between 20:00 and 05:00 until Saturday, with Stage 4 loadshedding scheduled for 05:00 until 20:00 every day.

Unplanned outages increased by 401 MW to 15 825 MW, whilst planned maintenance increased by 555 MW to 6 835 MW of generation capacity.

1 300 MW of generation capacity was returned to service in the last 24 hours. Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes to loadshedding should it be required.

The Western Cape government has lodged an intergovernmental dispute with National Treasury over the mid-term adjustment budget.

Premier Alan Winde said at a media briefing in Cape Town on Tuesday that all the province wanted was a fair allocation.

"Citizens are moving to our provinces. We want to resolve this by engaging and we are demanding an interaction and if we don't have an interaction we will see them in court," the premier added.

He stressed that every government department was affected by the latest wave of budget cuts.

"This is a formal intergovernmental dispute that we are lodging. We want our R1-billion shortfall that they have cut," the premier added.

"Give us our R1.1-billion or we will see you in court."

An intergovernmental dispute is usually declared between different organs of state or government departments.

The provincial government declared the dispute on Monday morning in correspondence sent to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, who delivered his medium-term budget policy statement earlier this month.

Winde and Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC Mireille Wenger expressed their dismay at the lack of a clear and bold plan to drastically boost economic growth and job creation.

At the time, Winde said he was deeply disappointed and added that the province's finances were already under pressure.

Wenger who delivered her medium-term budget policy statement during a legislature sitting on Tuesday morning, said cuts would have a negative effect on services.

"The unconscionable consequence for provinces means that deep cuts are putting committed budgets on the line and our frontline services in education, health, and social development - the very forefront of our constitutional obligations to the people of our province - are at risk," she said.

The African National Congress (ANC) plans to challenge a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) order compelling the party to pay R150-million to a KwaZulu-Natal branding company for 2019 election material.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said on Tuesday the party studied the SCA judgment.

The party believes the SCA did not consider its application fully and that the Constitutional Court might come to a different conclusion.

"The ANC will appeal the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal in the Ezulweni matter in the Constitutional Court. Having studied the judgment, the ANC is of the view that [the] SCA did not consider new evidence which has emerged from a forensic report, which reveals crucial evidence that makes it plain that there was no authorisation for the transactions in question and certain implicated people misrepresented their positions and authority," Bhengu-Motsiri said.

On Monday, Ezulweni Investment acted on the SCA ruling and was awarded a writ order which allows the company to send a sheriff to the ANC and assess its assets for auction so that it can recoup the funds.

News24 spoke to the attorney representing Ezulweni Investments, Shafique Sarlie of Sarlie and Associates, who said the sheriff would be given free rein to assess what to attach.

"The amount now is far higher than that, at R147-million. Historically, we had attached three accounts, and I don't think there was much.

"Whatever the sheriff finds, he commands enough to satisfy the judge, and if it is not enough at a judicial sale, we will weigh our options and decide whether we proceed with liquidation proceedings against the ANC," Sarlie said.

While the ANC believes it has a constitutional matter on its hands, Ezulweni does not agree with the party's argument. Sarlie said the Constitution was clear and he predicted that the ANC would fail at the apex court.

"The rules of Constitutional Court say there must be constitutional matter that is brought. There is not semblance of constitutional matter in this case. They cannot make a constitutional point at this stage," Sarlie said.

The new evidence mentioned by Bhengu-Motsiri was heavily criticised in the SCA judgment as having not assisted the ANC's case.

Ezulweni showed in text messages between its executive, Renash Ramdas, and two ANC officials that an agreement to supply goods had been reached.

"The ANC's version is not capable of belief in the face of the cascade of communications from Ramdas that were met with deafening silence from the ANC.

"The only credible response of an entity in the position of the ANC, if its version was true, would have been to immediately set the record straight so as to prevent Ezulweni from proceeding at risk," the SCA said.

The African Union (AU) will convene the third Men's Conference on Positive Masculinity, in Pretoria this week, with the aim of advocating for more initiatives and dialogues where young men and boys can discuss issues affecting them.

President Cyril Ramaphosa noted in his weekly letter to the nation that Saturday marked the start of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children yearly campaign.

He said one of the reasons gender-based violence (GBV) continued in South Africa, was because there was a culture of ambivalence among men who see crimes against women and children as a 'private matter' or a 'family matter'.

In most cases of GBV, including domestic abuse and sexual violence, the attacker was known to the victim, he added.

South Africa is co-hosting the conference with the AU Chair and President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani.

The inaugural conference was held in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 and the second one was held in Dakar, Senegal in 2022.

Ramaphosa highlighted that it was the country's priority to end GBV.

"For the AU, as it is for our own country, ending GBV is a priority. Discussions are currently underway on the content of an African Convention to End Violence Against Women and Girls, executing a decision of the African Union Summit earlier this year," he said.

He explained that once adopted, the convention would be the first continental legal instrument for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.

He said South Africa was part of the AU Circle of Champions.

"It is an association of African Heads of State who have committed to implementing programmes at a national and continental levels that promote positive masculinity and encourage more men and boys to be part of the fight against GBV," he explained.

Ramaphosa expressed his confidence that the third AU Men's Conference on Positive Masculinity would raise the profile of prevention efforts in South Africa and in wider Africa, and that its outcomes would galvanise men and boys to play a greater role in breaking the cycle of violence.

He said government had long maintained that interventions aimed at eradicating GBV in the country must focus on prevention.

"If we are to raise a nation of men who are positive role models, who take care of their families, who exhibit positive masculinity and who would not countenance hurting a woman or a girl, we must work with young men," he said.

MORE INTERVENTIONS

Government has been engaging with civil society, academia and researchers, traditional leaders, youth organisations, the faith community and the private sector on the issue of prevention.

He said a number of initiatives were underway across a range of sectors that were providing space for young and older men to discuss notions of masculinity. Men are called on to critically consider their own prejudices, preconceptions and chauvinisms that abet GBV.

Ramaphosa noted that a number of government departments had interventions in place that were focused on promoting positive masculinity through dialogues, workshops, awareness-raising campaigns, psychosocial support and behavioural change programmes.

"In August this year I was part of the Presidential Young Men and Boys' Indaba in Soweto. I had the opportunity to talk with a group of young men as part of the 'What about the Boys' initiative. The aim of this programme is to get young men to open up in a safe space about their own experiences with masculinity and how this impacts their own attitudes to GBV," he said.

He said that citizens needed to inculcate a mindset that saw young men as part of the solution, and not just the problem.

"While men are the main perpetrators of violence against women and children, men must also be at the forefront of bringing about a new society that respects the equal rights of women and girls, where GBV has no place," he said.

Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi is on the campaign trail and bullish about getting as much as 1.8-million votes in the party's first election next year.

Addressing a public meeting in Cape Town last week, Zibi said he was "confident that if we keep growing at this rate, we will get 7.5% of the vote", which translates into about 30 seats in the National Assembly.

Opposition parties will be crucial in forming a coalition government after the 2024 general election if the African National Congress (ANC) scores below 50%, as projected.

Zibi, a former executive and editor, launched Rise Mzansi in April with former Democratic Alliance (DA) youth leader and MP Makashule Gana, young activists and business leaders.

According to Zibi, Rise Mzansi is signing up over 20 000 new supporters per week, who pledge to vote for the party.

He said there was a time when he was worried that the party's message wasn't landing, but is now "scared" about the rapid growth over the past few weeks.

"We've got a machinery, we are building a movement," he said, claiming that Rise Mzansi has 200 full-time organisers and 10 000 volunteers working in communities across South Africa.

"We have crossed the Rubicon. The rate at which we are growing scares me. If we grow at this rate, we are likely to have about 1.8million [members] by April. "Zibi says he is building a "long-term dream. We are not telling people that we are going to win the election next year and sort them out". Instead, the party is "really going for [the election in] 2029; we will get a majority in 2029 if we stay honest to what we do. People don't understand how weak the ANC is, even in areas where they are perceived to be strong.

"He says the people he speaks to are tired of "old politics" and are no longer interested in empty promises from politicians.

"I ask them: 'What are the issues in your community?' Because they know best."

Zibi says some pundits tell him: "You are too reasonable, you cannot be a politician". To which he says: "Well, 28-million people aren't voting because politicians are behaving in a buffoonish way; they are not serious, so people don't take them seriously."

He has no plans of bringing in any veteran ANC leaders on board to bolster Rise Mzansi's image."...People are tired of these old ANC guys.

The country has changed, you can't excite them with old ANC politicians anymore.

The country has moved on from the ANC as the centre of South African society."Zibi says his party does not define itself in terms of the ANC or the DA: "You cannot excite people with fear and division.

We are saying people must never again place a political party at the centre of their lives."And so he is campaigning on values."Politicians think vision doesn't matter, that people are stupid. The two most popular topics at our convention were community and nation-building … People want to see new thinking.

"Zibi says Rise Mzansi knows the names and numbers of each of their supporters and will "take them to the ballot box next year".

He scored 2% in a recent favourability poll by the Social Research Foundation, suggesting that he was largely unknown by the majority of the 1 500 participants. In the same poll, Zibi had a 74% unfamiliarity rate.

Due to the increasing demand combined with insufficient generating capacity and the need to manage the emergency reserves, Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented from 14:00 today until 05:00 on Saturday, Eskom said on Monday.

Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes to loadshedding should it be required. Unplanned outages slightly increased from 15 386 MW to 15 424MW of generating capacity, while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance increased from 5 617 MW to 6 280MW. Eskom's load forecast for the evening peak demand is 28 123MW.

In the last 24 hours, 500MW of generating capacity was taken offline whilst in the same period 600MW were returned to service. Approximately 1 300MW of generating capacity is anticipated to return to service by Tuesday evening.

Public broadcaster South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has appointed a new CEO, Nomsa Chabeli.

Chabeli was formerly general manager of brand and marketing at telecoms giant MTN for four years and marketing director of Massmart-controlled Masscash for a year.

She also served as marketing director of Supersport and DStv, and was chief marketing officer at national marketing agency Brand South Africa for a year. She holds an MBA from Henley Business School.

"The board has confidence in Ms Chabeli's ability to drive revenue generation, strategic growth, innovation and uphold the values that have defined SABC's legacy. This appointment reflects SABC's commitment to maintaining excellence in broadcasting and meeting the evolving needs of its diverse audience," the public broadcaster said in a statement.

But a source with knowledge of her time at MTN who spoke to News24 on condition of anonymity claimed "she was a poor people's manager with little experience of running a business".

Chabeli steps into the top job at the SABC as the embattled broadcaster attempts to recover from years of mismanagement and ongoing financial woes.

The SABC recorded a financial loss of over R1-billion for the past financial year and has been beset by leadership instability. In addition to a high turnover in the top job, it has also lost senior staff.

This year, its head of legal, Advocate Ntuthuzelo Vanara resigned, while Reggie Nxumalo resigned as the SABC's head of sales.

Former CEO Madoda Mxakwe, who was the first to complete the full five-year contract at the helm of the SABC in 15 years, exited his position in June. Group executive for radio Nada Wotshela stepped in as acting CEO.

Mxakwe's exit followed shortly after President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a new board in April. The broadcaster was without a board for six months.

Online publication Spotlight editor Marcus Low expressed disappointment with government for its failure to ratify the World Intellectual Property Organization-administered Marrakesh Treaty to accelerate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled.

The Marrakesh Treaty was adopted in 2013 by the World Intellectual Property Organization to address the widespread problem known as "book famine", the situation where few books are published in formats that are accessible to those who are blind or visually impaired.

"The shocking thing is that the Treaty was concluded 13 years ago and today, 10 years later, it is not fixed in South Africa. Every year when government says all the nice things on disability month - November - to me it rings hollow," Low said.

Speaking during the SECTION27, Blind SA and Daily Maverick webinar on 'Court-Ordered Copyright Act Changes for the Blind and Visually Impaired', Low said that over 80 countries including the US, the UK, India and Brazil had ratified the Treaty, as well as fellow African countries such as Nigeria.

Blind SA (represented by SECTION27) challenged the constitutionality of South Africa's Copyright Act for the way it discriminated against persons who were blind or visually impaired. In particular, the Act required that anyone wanting to convert a book into an accessible format, like Braille or large print, needed to obtain the permission of the copyright holder.

Recognising the heavy burden this placed on persons who are blind or visually impaired, the Court declared the Copyright Act unconstitutional in 2022.

Now, persons who are blind or visually impaired no longer need to obtain permission from the copyright holder, while Parliament finalises changes to the rest of the Act.

The court has also given Parliament 24 months to cure the unconstitutional defects in the Copyright Act.

Low highlighted that there were two traditional problems with how the law worked regarding blind people.

"One is where as a blind person or someone helping a blind person, you are not allowed to make an accessible format copy. So the Marrakesh Treaty says that if you are a member country you have to allow that. The treaty says that you should be allowed to share books across borders," he said.

University of the Witwatersrand School of Law's Mandela Institute senior researcher, Dr Sanya Samtani, explained that people with disabilities had been excluded domestically in South Africa and internationally from full and equal participation in society.

She said the Marrakesh Treaty put in law mandatory exceptions for people with visual and print disabilities.

Meanwhile, Low said that the benefits of the judgment on the court-ordered Copyright Act changes for the blind and visually impaired were not well understood as yet, highlighting that it took time to make accessible copies and could sometimes be quite expensive.

"If you can see you can go to the book store, buy the book you want to read, if you can afford it, otherwise you can go to a library and whatever books are in the library, you can read. There is no obstacle there. So if you cannot see to read those books then it becomes more complicated, so we can turn those books into other formats, such as Braille," he explained.

The national head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has expressed his confidence in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to take cases to court, revealing that the Hawks is currently investigating more than 19 000 cases.

Outlining the progress made by the investigating unit during the 2023/24 period to tackle crime, Lebeya stressed the need for greater financial and personnel resources as the investigating unit tackles its large caseload.

He highlighted 30 cases, which is 3% of the 1 045 successes experienced during this quarter, and added that at least 801 suspects were arrested, which resulted in 244 convictions.

He said that the top five national priority offences that resulted in a high number of arrests included 173 for fraud, 172 for precious metals and diamonds, 52 for narcotics, 48 for cash-in-transit robberies and 37 for corruption.

In highlighting the breakdown of the nationalities of the 791 perpetrators, Lebeya noted that there were 570 South Africans and 221 foreign nationals involved.

During this quarter, the Hawks also seized exhibits of precious metals and diamonds, endangered species, vehicles, cash, firearms, ammunition, counterfeit goods, explosives and electronic devices worth R92 407 269.

Fraud was the offence with the highest number of convictions during this quarter, constituting 75 of the 244 reported cases, followed by precious metals and diamonds with 51.

Lebeya has decried the deadly assault on police officials in the country with 35 police officials having been murdered in the second quarter.

"Attacks on police officials are an attack on the State and the death of one police official is one too many," said Lebeya.

In relation to the murder of police officials, he noted that five accused in this matter were to share 10 life imprisonment sentences and a combined 391 years in prison.

In addressing the facilitation of justice, Lebeya has also expressed confidence in the NPA and its ability to finalise cases in court. He confirmed that the names of charged suspects remained on the court roll and alluded to the difficulty in administering justice in criminal matters.

"We can't lose confidence in the NPA. They are the ones that do prosecution. We, as the Hawks, only conduct investigations and provide what they require of us in order for them to argue these matters, and what we should keep in mind is that these matters must be proven beyond reasonable doubt. It differs from when you deal with a civil case where at times we deal with the attachment and confiscation of assets," said Lebeya.

He has also alluded to the enactment of sufficient measures to deal with crime during the festive season.