Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s spokesperson Vukani Mde argued that Mashatile has never awarded, influenced, or in any way caused any State or public sector contract to be awarded to the individuals and companies mentioned by recent expose.

On Monday, an investigation by a local news publication revealed that Mashatile lives a “life of luxury, living in expensive homes owned by businessmen benefitting from State contracts”.

One of Mashatile's largest benefactors, according to the news report, is Edwin Sodi, the politically connected businessman currently on trial on charges of corruption and fraud linked to a R255-million Free State asbestos eradication tender, together with former Free State premier, Ace Magashule, who was recently expelled from the African National Congress.

Mde stated that Mashatile does not have ownership or permanent use of any properties bought by these individuals or mentioned companies.

He said the Deputy President would challenge anyone to prove otherwise.

Mde highlighted that Mashatile has, throughout his life as an activist and public representative, met many people from different walks of life, including the individuals mentioned in the investigative news report.

“Naturally, some of the people he has interacted with throughout that long time have become close personal associates. There is nothing wrong or unusual about this, and the attempt to scandalise such associations is unfortunate,” he said.

Mashatile assured the nation that he is committed to his oath of office and the principles of the Constitution, reiterating his commitment to fight corruption and build an ethical and competent developmental state.

“In line with these commitments, the Deputy President has always conducted himself in ways that comply with the letter and spirit of the law and executive disclosure requirements throughout his career spanning nearly 30 years of service to the people of South Africa. Any allegation or insinuation that he has ever betrayed this commitment is categorically denied,” said Mde.

The Deputy President’s spokesperson added that “the most unfortunate parts” of the news report, is the “gratuitous suggestion” that Mashatile is “working hard behind the scenes to ascend to the office of president”, supposedly by some underhand means. Mde stated that this is strenuously denied.

“The primary mandate of The Presidency is to provide support to the President and Deputy President in leading the Executive and to assist them in the coordination and supervision of Government. The Presidency translates and implements the commitments of the President as outlined in the State of the Nation Address,” he said.

Mde noted that while the Deputy President denies any and all allegations of wrongdoing, the Presidency note that the investigating news publication failed to offer any real evidence of misconduct on the part of the Deputy President, and chose to rely on innuendo, suggestion, and guilt by association.

He added that this is a regrettable approach to journalism and it has the potential to hinder rather than help the cause of accountability in public life.

South Africa’s central bank will keep monetary policy tight for longer to tame persistent inflation, Governor Lesetja Kganyago said.

The central bank’s monetary policy committee has raised the benchmark rate by a combined 475 basis points at its 10 past meetings with the aim of bringing inflation back to the 4.5% midpoint of its target range, where it prefers to anchor expectations.

“What is in no doubt is that policy is going to have to remain tight for a little bit longer than actually the market had been pricing,” Kganyago said in an interview on Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. “And the reason has been that inflation has been more persistent than we had actually thought.”

Last month inflation slowed more than projected to a 13-month low of 6.3%. Still, inflation has been above the South African Reserve Bank’s target range for a year. The key repurchase rate stands at 8.25%, the highest level in 14 years.

The governor said it is too early to say whether the MPC will follow the Federal Reserve and pause interest rate hikes at its meeting next month.

For how long it will be higher is a function of whether inflation declines to target, Kganyago said. “If inflation declines to target and is sustained at target and thus inflation expectations become anchored then you would say that it is time to recalibrate policy.”

Inflation is forecast to return within its target range this quarter or next, Kganyago said. “There are still risks to the inflation outlook and we have seen that inflation has been sticky, but we are confident that inflation is coming down.”

Forward-rate agreements starting in a month — used to speculate on borrowing costs — show traders are pricing in a more than 63% chance of the MPC increasing the repurchase rate by 25 basis points on July 20. Of the 16 economists polled in a Bloomberg survey earlier this month, 10 expect the central bank to pause and the rest forecast a quarter-point hike.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya on Wednesday rejected the narrative that President Cyril Ramaphosa is not engaged with his job, saying the President remains deeply motivated with leading reforms and resolving the many challenges facing the country, particularly those facing the economy.

Magwenya was briefing the media on the President's weekly agenda, where he explained that the Presidency had noted with concern the ongoing narrative that sought to suggest that the President was not fully engaged with his job and the task of leading South Africa.

Magwenya said the Presidency rejected this impression, and called it cheap political point-scoring and an attempt to distract from the difficult task of reforming the economy.

He noted that over the last six months Ramaphosa had focused on resolving multiple challenges and advancing the economic growth agenda.

Magwenya highlighted that on Tuesday government finalised the partnership with organised business on three joint work streams – electricity; logistics; and crime and corruption.

He went on to explain that ongoing interactions with business in different sectors, organised labour and the disability sector, continue.

Magwenya highlighted that Ramaphosa had convened the fifth South African investment conference, which exceeded its five-year investment target.

He said on employment the President had established and continued to champion the Youth Employment and Service initiative, which Magwenya said had placed about 1 000 youth in one-year work experience opportunities.

“The Presidential Employment Stimulus created 1.2-million public employment opportunities since 2020," he added.

"On electricity, President Ramaphosa has taken a hands-on approach to solving the crisis by chairing the National Energy Crisis Committee which was established last year in July,” he continued

Magwenya noted that reforms had led to a pipeline of over 100 private sector projects totalling 10 000 MW.

He noted that the President was also actively involved with Operation Vulindlela, which had driven reforms in water, electricity, ports and rail, telecommunications and visas.

Magwenya said Ramaphosa had met with the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) three times between June 2 and June 20.

The PCC is the President’s platform for consultation and crucial engagement with provinces and organised local government to raise matters of national interest, coordinate alignment of priorities, strengthen strategic priorities, and discuss performance.

The PCC transcends local boundaries and coordinates responses in a transversal and holistic manner.

SOUTHERN AFRICA CUSTOMS UNION

Ramaphosa will, on Thursday, participate in the eighth Southern Africa Customs Union (Sacu) Heads of State and Government Summit in Eswatini.

The President‘s working visit at the Sacu Summit is at the invitation of the current Chair of SACU, King Mswati III, and the iNgwenyama of the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Ramaphosa will lead a delegation comprising Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel; Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza; Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana; and South African Revenue Service commissioner Edward Kieswetter.

The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal, along with its alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), have agreed on the need for an Alliance Energy Summit to help solve the ongoing power cuts affecting the province’s economic gains.

The partnership calls itself the ‘political alliance council’.

Addressing the media ahead of a meeting with its alliance partners in Durban on Tuesday, ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said an energy strategy that would ensure energy security would be developed by the organisations.

Mtolo said the Alliance Energy Summit, which would be coordinated by the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone, would be championed by KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs MEC Siboniso Duma, on behalf of the ANC government.

Mtolo said through the Energy Summit, the alliance partners wanted the ANC government to establish a cohesive plan, involving all stakeholders, to ensure the availability of sustainable energy resources in the province, to meet its future economic and domestic growth requirements.

RISING FOOD COSTS

The ANC and its alliance partners blamed the intermittent energy crisis for the rising cost of living.

“The rapid increase of the repo rate by the Reserve Bank [and an] exorbitant increase [in] electricity tariffs, reflect the neo-liberal offensive that subjects the majority of our people to abject poverty as a result of credit impairments and unaffordability of basic necessities,” Mtolo said.

ACCOUNTABILITY

The political alliance council said it took seriously the task of holding all leaders deployed by the ANC accountable.

It said the party had a responsibility, more than opposition parties, to ensure that the ANC-led government delivers.

“The political alliance council believes that the conditions of freedom and democracy mean that the ANC as a ruling party, representing the majority of the people of our country, has the responsibility to preside over the resources of the public to improve their lives. This makes the poor people and the majority of all South Africans to be the main and the only focus for the ANC as the leading party in government,“ the political alliance council said and added that narrow and individual interests must be a thing of the past.

GOVERNMENT MATTERS

The political alliance council noted the collapse of service delivery in various municipalities owing to corruption, maladministration and the abuse of political offices.

It said municipalities under the ANC must be at the forefront of service delivery and ensure good governance.

The council is also concerned by the political instability created by coalitions which have also stalled service delivery.

It said alliance partners in these regions must work as a collective to ensure that local government remained the centre of popular participation in the ANC's programme of action aimed at strengthening service delivery.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen noted that the Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES) released on Tuesday provided damning proof that South Africa is in the midst of a “jobs bloodbath” at the hands of failed African National Congress (ANC) policy and rampant corruption.

Stats South Africa highlighted that total employment in the formal non-agricultural sector decreased by 21 000 in the first quarter of 2023, bringing the level of unemployment to almost 10-million. The report indicated a tragic loss of 97 000 jobs between March 2022 and March 2023, which equated to more than 8 000 jobs per month or 260 jobs each day, said Steenhuisen.

He explained that the QES was proof that South Africa was edging closer to a failed State and the collapse of the country’s society.

“This is an indictment on the ANC and a clear sign of a failing State and an uncaring government. ANC policy has created both the world’s highest youth unemployment rate, as well as one of the worst performing public education systems,” said Steenhuisen.

He noted that between a stagnating and receding economy, and a growing population “that is ill-equipped for the working world”, the ANC is solely responsible for South Africa’s job losses and the state of despair millions of South Africans find themselves in.

“To add insult to injury, the ANC’s introduction of race quotas in the South African labour market will hammer the final nail in the coffin for the South African economy, further entrenching poverty and misery into the lives of the South African people,” he said.

Steenhuisen said if the ANC’s race quotas were enforced, 600 000 currently employed South Africans stood to lose their jobs based on the colour of their skin.

He added that until “these draconian” race quotas were removed, South Africa could expect more catastrophic employment statistics in quarters to come.

“It is truly baffling that in a country where jobs numbers are already disastrous, the ANC would seek to introduce race quotas to make finding a job even more difficult for millions of citizens,” Steenhuisen stated.

Earlier this month the DA approached the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to declare various sections of the Employment Equity Amendment Act unconstitutional and invalid.

An aborted mutiny in Russia will not affect efforts by African leaders to seek an end to the war in Ukraine, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor said on Tuesday after holding talks with her visiting German counterpart.

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said Saturday's mutiny by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin showed that President Vladimir Putin was destroying his own country.

Baerbock's visit to South Africa came after President Cyril Ramaphosa and other African leaders visited Russia and Ukraine on a peace mission this month.

South Africa has insisted it is non-aligned in Russia's war in Ukraine. It has faced criticism from Western powers for maintaining close ties to Russia, a historic ally.

Before the visit, Baerbock had said that she wanted to hear South Africa's view on the "dramatic developments" in Russia and discuss how South Africa can use its weight as an African opinion leader to help end the Ukraine conflict.

Pandor said the "attempted mutiny ... will not affect our intention of continuing to engage with both countries as has been agreed by the presidents who were part of the African peace mission".

The peace mission to Kyiv and Moscow was preliminary and the leaders of both countries had agreed to further meetings in the next few weeks, she added.

Baerbock said Prigozhin's mutiny "makes it clear once again that Russia's illegal war of aggression is not just an attack on Ukraine ... but that President Putin is destroying his own country".

Pandor defended South Africa against criticism for abstaining from voting on United Nations resolutions condemning Russia over the war, saying her country was now in a valuable position able to negotiate with both sides.

South Africa has not received a response as to whether Putin would attend a Johannesburg summit of the BRICS group of nations, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, scheduled for August, Pandor continued.

South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest Putin if he attends, as it is a member of the International Criminal Court which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for suspected war crimes.

African National Congress (ANC) first deputy secretary general Nomvula Mokonyane is optimistic that young people will turn up in their numbers to register to vote.

Mokonyane made the comments during the Online Voter Registration Drive in Hazyview, in Mpumalanga which was aimed at supporting the Independent Electoral Commission’s efforts to mobilise eligible citizens to vote.

The ANC has begun preparations for the 2024 national elections. Mokonyane, alongside Mpumalanga ANC leaders, led the campaign where netball and soccer tournaments were organised as part of encouraging young people to register to vote.

“As part of working towards the coming general elections, the ANC understands that you win elections by registering voters on the voter’s roll. What we are doing here in Hazyview is work that is going to be rolled out through the country. The target is the first-time voters, which is our young people. It is also a new way of reaching out to the youth by finding them where it excites them,” she said.

The youth response was positive as they expressed joy at being part of the voters’ roll, she said.

According to Ehlanzeni ANC Youth League regional secretary Kabelo Ndziyo, registering young people to vote meant a registration for the future of South Africa.

“This campaign brings excitement to us as the ANCYL as we prepare for our own conference this coming week, but after that our aim, as part of our programme as a region going forward, is to do door-to-door campaigns to ensure that all the eligible youth registers to vote. We will also be going into TVET colleges to make sure that no young person is left behind and that their voice is heard,” said Ndziyo.

He further assured that Mpumalanga would have an 89% to 90% voter turn-out from new voters and especially the youth in the 2024 elections.

“The ANC has done so much for our youth, hence we are confident that as they register to vote, they will vote no other party than the organisation that has been standing in the gap to ensure that the rights of the masses are covered and that the youth is empowered as the vital organs of our country,” Nziyo said.

The Presiding Officers of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Amos Masondo, have formally requested an urgent meeting with Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, to clarify any potential misunderstandings.

Addressing a Human Sciences Research Council symposium last week, which analysed the State capture report's impact on democracy Zondo said if there was another attempt at State capture, Parliament would fail to prevent it.

Parliament has since strongly objected to the public criticisms made by Zondo and said a meeting with the Chief Justice would be to establish a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of each arm of government within the context of Parliament's implementation of the commission's recommendations.

“Recognising the importance of maintaining a healthy working relationship between the Judiciary and the Legislature, the Presiding Officers have sought this meeting as a platform for constructive dialogue. The meeting is intended to address matters of concern between the Judiciary and the Legislature, specifically in relation to recent public statements made by the Chief Justice regarding Parliament's role in the implementation of the Judicial Commission into State Capture, Corruption, and Fraud in the Public Sector, Including Organs of State,” said Parliament.

It added that the Presiding Officers of Parliament were fully aware of their constitutional mandate and the need to collaborate and work harmoniously with the Judiciary.

“This meeting is an important step towards strengthening the relationship between the Judiciary and the Legislature, as well as fostering public trust and confidence in our democratic system,” Parliament said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Monday that with improved funding for the country’s Just Energy Transition, government will be able to invest substantially in strengthening the country’s electricity grid and new renewable energy generation.

In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa said that this will make a significant contribution towards ending loadshedding and securing a reliable and affordable supply of electricity.

“This will, in turn, promote economic growth, make our exports more competitive and create employment,” he added.

South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan, which was released last year, estimates that the country will need around $98-billion over the next five years to transition towards a low-carbon economy.

Last week, several world leaders gathered in Paris, France for a global summit on financing development and climate action in developing economies, where there was a broad consensus among most of the countries that much more funding is needed and that international development banks need to be significantly reformed to direct that funding to where it will have the greatest impact.

Ramaphosa, who was in attendance, said that there was general agreement that additional private sector funding should be mobilised and that funding should be provided on better terms.

“This funding will also enable us to develop new industries, such as electric vehicles and green hydrogen, which will increase our industrial output and create jobs for the economy of the future. Through such funding, we can increase our investment in infrastructure, expanding the capacity of our economy and reducing the costs for emerging businesses,” he added.

He explained that the country is working to accelerate the implementation of its Energy Action Plan and Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan so that it can end loadshedding, grow the economy and create jobs.

“We need to continue to assert the needs and interests of developing economies in these international forums, so that we can raise the funds that are required to achieve a just transition and advance our developmental objectives. This is important not only for people in South Africa, but for people throughout the Global South,” he said.

Ramaphosa noted that global development financing, if properly directed and provided on a significant scale, can make a huge difference to the lives of people living in countries like South Africa.

“As we said at the summit, we do not want to be treated like beggars, as if we are asking for charity. The industrialisation and economic development of the Global North was achieved at the expense of the Global South. Wealthier countries, therefore, have both an obligation and an interest in supporting development and climate action in poorer countries,” Ramaphosa added.

He highlighted that while much has been achieved in South Africa to address the needs of the poor since the advent of democracy, this work has been undermined by slow economic growth, State capture and corruption, the electricity crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) agreed with Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's assessment that, if there was another attempt at State capture, Parliament would fail to prevent it.

Addressing a Human Sciences Research Council symposium on Thursday, which analysed the State capture report's impact on democracy – a year to the day that the final instalment of the report was released – Zondo defended his inquiry's wide-ranging recommendations.

The recommendations included the establishment of a commission to monitor State capture if Parliament failed in its legal duties.

"If another group of people were to do exactly what the Guptas did to pursue State capture, Parliament would still not be able to stop it. That is simply because I have seen nothing that has changed. If Parliament won't be able to protect the people's interests, who will protect the people?" Zondo asked.

In his report, Zondo recommended safeguards to protect the country against State capture and Parliament's lack of action.

On Thursday, he repeated this recommendation, adding that electoral reform to allow for a constituency-based system would give voters more power.

If public representatives, elected directly by constituencies, acted against the mandate given, they would be held accountable by those voters, Zondo said.

Currently, political parties decide who they will deploy to Parliament - and the party's mandate takes precedence over voters' demands and needs.

On Thursday evening, Parliament reacted with "shock and strong objection", and accused Zondo of "encroaching" on the doctrine of separation of powers.

However, the DA's chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, agreed with Zondo.

Gwarube had been trying to get Parliament to move on the reports emanating from the Zondo Commission since March last year, only to be met with resistance from the African National Congress (ANC).

In a statement released on Friday morning, she said the DA noted Zondo's comments that should State capture occur again, Parliament would never be able to prevent it.

"This is true. And the DA has long held that a working and effective Parliament is not in the interests of the ANC. The ANC in Parliament has blocked every attempt to reform its way of conducting business.

"They have treated the Zondo Commission's report and its recommendations with disdain, and keep reminding people that these are mere recommendations and the institution isn't bound by them," Gwarube said.

She said the ANC sought to shield those implicated by the commission from accountability and blankly refused to make any meaningful changes before the term was over.

"This will mean that the seventh Parliament will have nothing to rely on and insulate Parliament from within."

She said the DA's recommendations flowing from the commission's report to the Rules Committee "were bluntly voted down by the ANC, which has the majority".

"The DA and other opposition parties have long called for a portfolio committee to oversee the work of the growing Presidency. This hasn't been implemented, despite the fact that it's been a long argument even before the work of the Zondo Commission.

"Instead of simply implementing this, the ANC wishes to first do a comparative study on the practice. This isn't needed. It's a delaying tactic.

"It is clear the ANC does not want to implement the recommendations of the Zondo Commission. The R1-billion, which was spent on the commission, and the years of work gone into the commission, have unfortunately proven to be a waste.

"Between Parliament's unwillingness to act on the recommendations of the Zondo Commission, and the NPA's admission that they lack capacity to successfully prosecute high-level corruption from State capture, it is clear that corruption and State capture will not be decisively dealt with until the ANC is removed from government in 2024."