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President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Monday that as emotive as the Israel-Palestine issue may be for many South Africans, particularly given the country's own history of discrimination and oppression, citizens must not let it deepen divisions between them.

It is now over a month since the attacks in Israel that resulted in the intense violence in Palestine.

According to authorities, more than 1 200 people were killed in the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 and more than 11 000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli Defence Force bombardments. More than 60% of the people killed in Gaza are reported to be women and children.

Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that as the bombardment of Gaza continues, there have been pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world, as well as those expressing solidarity with Israel.

South Africa has also seen protests, convened by civil society organisations, political parties and religious groupings.

"What is happening in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank provokes strong emotions. For some, the murder of Israelis and the abduction of hostages on October 7 has further hardened sentiment that Israel has the right to use whatever means at its disposal to defend itself. At the same time, there are others who view the collective punishment of the people of Gaza by the Israeli government as a war crime. Yet no matter how strong our views on this matter, we must guard against this conflict turning us against each other as South Africans," said Ramaphosa.

Last week, police had to intervene in a confrontation between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters at a demonstration in Cape Town.

Ramaphosa noted that while this incident is troubling and unacceptable, government commends South Africans who have participated in orderly and peaceful demonstrations.

He stressed that there is no place in South Africa for violence or threats of violence against those who hold contrary views.

"Nor is there any place for any form of prejudice, racism or chauvinism. We are a society that prides itself on its tolerance and respect," he said.

Ramaphosa highlighted that South Africa stands firm in its call for justice for the oppressed Palestinian people, for their rights and aspirations to be fulfilled, for the immediate cessation of hostilities, and for there to be accountability for the killings of civilians in this recent conflict.

"We maintain that peace will not be possible until Palestinians are free. Yet, support for the Palestinian struggle cannot be equated with anti-Semitism. There is no place in our society for anti-Semitism, just as there is no place in our country for prejudice directed against any individual or community on the basis of race, religion, belief, political view or sexual orientation," he said.

Ramaphosa noted that in a free and democratic society, such as South Africa, where divergent views are respected and protected by law, government will continue to uphold everyone's right to advocate and demonstrate peacefully, be they pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian.

Former justice of the Constitutional Court and the chairperson of the electoral commission who delivered the 1994 election, Justice Johann Kriegler, says he believes the African National Congress (ANC) will relinquish power if they lose at the polls.

Delivering the Helen Suzman Foundation's annual Helen Suzman memorial lecture at the University of Pretoria's business school in Illovo, Johannesburg, Kriegler indicated that he did not believe that the ANC would pursue illegal means to hang on to power if it loses a future national election.

"I'm not an apologist for the ANC, heaven help me, I'm not even a supporter. But I do have confidence in the integrity of the basic leadership of the party, that if they lose at the polls, they will go," he said.

Kriegler added that he also had faith that South Africans would not accept any gerrymandering with election results.

"I don't think the South African public will put up with Trump tricks… if we want to get rid of them, if you want to get rid of them in the ordinary way (through the ballot box)… I don't think they will not go if voted out. I don't think their own rank and file will allow them (to subvert democracy). I am not a prognosticator, I can only go on the probabilities, and that's my guess."

Kriegler, who turns 90 on 27 November, is a former judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court, and was appointed to the bench of the Constitutional Court by then-president Nelson Mandela in 1994. He was also chairperson of the electoral commission that oversaw the country's first democratic election in 1994.

In his remarks Kriegler defended the country's electoral system, rejecting pleas for amendments to the system of proportional representation.

Calls for changes to the system are rooted in many people's frustration over the lack of accountability of public representatives, and a feeling that a constituency-based system might improve accountability.

There was, however, no real evidence for that, Kriegler said. Exhaustive studies were conducted to determine which system would be best for South Africa, and he still believes the country's electoral system is suitable.

Kriegler said that blame for the lack of accountability and the inability of Parliament and MPs to discharge their functions efficiently was not the fault of the electoral system, but the fault of people and MPs themselves. The ANC had been returned to power repeatedly because that's what people want, he said.

Former president Jacob Zuma was allowed to perpetrate State capture because Parliament was unable to exact accountability. It was human failure that led to State capture, not the electoral system or the justice system.

"The law cannot generate the necessary political will for ANC MPs to do their job," he said.

"The law doesn't change politics; politics changes the law."

He told the audience that if they believed that a change of government was necessary, if South Africans wanted a new government, then they had to involve themselves in the political process.

"The fate of our democracy does not lie in intellectual debate about the system…it is about getting your hands dirty, walking the streets, canvassing on behalf of a political party if you are unhappy about the state of our country," he added.

Kriegler retired as chairperson of Freedom Under Law, a non-governmental organisation that promotes the rule of law and independence of the judiciary, in August.

University of South Africa (Unisa) Principal and Vice-Chancellor Puleng LenkaBula on Friday expressed embarrassment on behalf of the university for not calling out the events unfolding in Palestine sooner, as she called for South Africans and other Africans to extend their solidarity.

LenkaBula was speaking at the fifth Chief Albert Luthuli Research Chair Founders Lecture, where she said that it was unclear whether Unisa was scared or shy to speak out.

She said it was clear that unity of history, culture and ethnicity, and reclaiming instruments as Africans, were important when looking at the wars taking place, including the silence around the violence that Palestine and Palestinian people were subjected to.

LenkaBula said it was through solidarity and the unity of the internationalist grouping, including those that supported the African National Congress that Chief Albert Luthuli had led, that enabled South Africa to overcome its own conditions of apartheid.

She noted that Unisa could not be quiet when in Gaza universities had been decimated.

"We should not be shy because the geo-political powers and hegemony will silence us. We must speak truth to power even if our voices are shaking," she stated.

She alleged that sometimes "quiet, terrible theology" is used to justify alliances with those in positions of power and dominance, even to undermine the integrity of the humanity of others.

She said this was witnessed with colleagues from the Gift of the Givers losing their lives, as they extended solidarity to Palestinians.

Ahmed Abbassi was heading up the organisation's relief efforts in Gaza when he and his brother were killed in an Israeli attack while returning from morning prayers.

"We must, as South Africans, as Africans, also extend our solidarity, it is imperative for us because we understand what it means for the world to tremble upon us and what it means to speak against and fight the domination," she said.

HONOURING OUR ICONS

LenkaBula noted that as Unisa celebrates 150 years, it would not be oblivious to the challenges faced by African leaders, especially those committed to the emancipatory project of the country, continent and in the global arena, such as Luthuli had been.

"As we celebrate 150 years we are not apologetic about lifting up these icons, these Africans, that are sometimes muted, silenced and whose work is sometimes placed under tables not in libraries," she said.

She highlighted that South Africans should be worried as the country gears up to hold national elections next year, warning that sometimes Africans "hollowed out" the emancipatory and liberation trajectories that the country's forebears led, organised, and agitated and advocated for.

"And as we remember, recall and reinvigorate our sciences, looking to these icons, the ones who contributed to the histories that have resulted in the democracy that we have, [let us not] sometimes trivialise and forget the violence, dehumanisation and the oppression which were occasioned by colonialism and apartheid and that are still features of our lives," said LenkaBula.

Minister of Police Bheki Cele revealed on Friday that 6 945 people were murdered in South Africa between July 1 and September 30, and expressed outrage that out of that figure, 881 people were women and 293 were children.

He said the violence against women and children was shameful, as he announced the 0.8% drop in the murder rate, from the quarterly crime statistics.

He believes that incorporating communities and non-government organisations is vital in reducing crime in the country, as the police cannot win alone.

The crime statistics also pointed out that 35 police officers were killed on and off duty in the three-month period, as were 19 law enforcement officers attached to national, provincial and local government and private security.

Cele said it remained encouraging that the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Limpopo provinces reported double-digit percentage decreases in their murder rates "despite KZN experiencing numerous mass shootings, claiming three or more lives at a time".

The Minister said while the Inanda and Umlazi police stations, which had previously reported the highest murders in the country, were still leading in this crime, they had reported decreases in murders.

The Eastern and Northern Cape provinces also saw slight drops in incidents of murder during the reporting period, despite the Eastern Cape recording multiple shooting incidents, fuelled by drug- and vigilante-related motives.

Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Western Cape, Free State and the North West recorded increases in murders.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

As the country observes 16 days of activism against gender-based violence (GBV), Cele said the ministry was motivated by the South African Police Service's (Saps') continued successes in bringing to book GBV and femicide perpetrators.

This includes the recent identification and takedown of 27 sexual predators in the country.

"In October we saw the sentencing of Mario Giusti, sentenced to 6 400 years in jail, found guilty of more than 1 000 charges of child pornography. It is clear, attacks and violence meted out on women, children, the elderly and the most vulnerable in this country, remains shameful," said Cele.

The Minister reiterated that the scourge of violence against women and children in South Africa must be confronted head-on and equally by law enforcement and the whole of government and society.

He reported that the Saps continues to upscale its responses to these forms of crimes through increased operations to trace GBV perpetrators, and arrest serial offenders as well as serial rapists.

Cele also said as part of some of the crime prevention programmes carried out by the police service, dialogues in various communities, targeting men, who are the main GBV perpetrators by far, are taking place.

"We support a similar continental programme targeting men around the issue of GBV. The African Men Conference hosted by the African Union will take place in South Africa on the 27th to the 28th of November 2023," he said.

RAPE

The Minister said 10 516 rape incidents were reported to the Saps between July to September this year.

Of that, 4 726 rape incidents took place either at the home of the rape victim or at the home of the perpetrator, who was usually a family member, a friend or a neighbour.

Cele said the police stations delivered victim-centered services to victims of sexual violence and he added that the continued availability of evidence collection kits, or so called 'Rape Kits', has been well-managed, including the improvement of support services at stations for survivors of sexual violence.

On the historic DNA backlog, which was standing at over 240 000 two years ago, Cele said it had now been cleared.

"Saps forensic laboratories across the country continue to work optimally and relevant contracts crucial for the functioning of labs are in place. The consumables essential for the processing of samples continue to be procured. These policy interventions are coupled with functioning of GBV desks at poli...

After official meetings in Kyiv this June, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke informally over a lengthy dinner and two key areas were agreed on that Ramaphosa and a delegation of African leaders could take to Moscow, Russia.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba revealed new details of the engagement between Ramaphosa and Zelenksy during a briefing with a group of African journalists invited to Ukraine by his ministry.

The delegation, including News24, has spent time in Kyiv and Odessa, and met with a series of top Ukrainian officials including Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk.

The two points - prisoner exchanges and the return of more than 20 000 Ukrainian children deported to Russia from occupied territories - originally formed part of a 10-point peace formula that Zelensky introduced to international countries.

Ramaphosa visited Kyiv five months ago with six other leaders from African countries as part of the African Peace Initiative that sought to establish dialogue between Ukraine and Russia. After Kyiv, the delegation visited Russia.

Ramaphosa was joined by Comoros President Azali Assoumani, who also serves as president of the African Union; Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso; Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni; Senegal's Macky Sall; and Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia.

Zelensky said discussions in Ukraine allowed the African leaders to arrive in Moscow with a "better understanding of this shameful war" and meant they could not easily be persuaded with disinformation.

Some had arrived with "mixed emotions and mixed information" about the war, Zelensky told the same delegation of journalists in an interview on Tuesday.

News24 reported that Ramaphosa had come away from the meeting with a new understanding of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Since then, some children have been returned. In October, four children were brought back through a deal mediated by Qatar, after being taken to Russia in May 2022.

Forbes reported in October that prisoner swaps remain rare, with at least 10 000 Ukrainian soldiers believed to be in Russian custody while more than 2 500 have been returned.

"President Ramaphosa and President Zelensky sat next to each other and talked a lot, and it was a more informal conversation," Kuleba said.

He added that there were already signs that some of what was agreed on in June was "emerging" and gave a rosy outlook on relations with South Africa moving forward while acknowledging that Kyiv understood that South Africa already has in place diplomatic and bilateral ties and agreements that it too needs to protect.

Since the peace mission, African officials have twice joined discussions on seeking a way to start peace talks, in Saudi Arabia and Malta, where more than 70 officials were present.

"The question is how far we can go in strengthening relations. I believe there is a lot of space to manoeuvre," Kuleba said, referencing South Africa's close ties with Russia through the BRICS alliance.

I think in [terms of] South Africa and Ukraine relations, there is a valuable example of diplomacy. Our relations have gone from cool, cold and distant [to] transitioning to open and honest dialogue. Diplomacy, the relationship between two states, is just like human relationships - you must respect and listen to one another, and, importantly, be there for your partner every day," he said.

Kuleba has visited 12 African countries in as many months as part of Ukraine's mission to revive historic ties with Russia, which he's admitted were neglected since the late 1990s as the former focused on its own internal political problems. The war has changed that.

Ramaphosa and Zelensky met again in September in New York, US, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and, in a statement after the meeting, the South African president said some of their efforts were bearing fruit, but the pace of the...

DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Emma Louise Powell noted that the African National Congress's (ANC's) decision to withdraw diplomats from Tel Aviv, and the Economic Freedom Fighters' (EFF's) proposed expulsion of the Israeli Ambassador from South Africa, will diminish the country's ability to demand accountability in the Gaza region, and to influence a swift and peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.

Powell was speaking during a debate in Parliament on the removal of the Israeli embassy in South Africa, where she said the "political opportunism" by the ANC and the EFF was indicative of their inherent moral bankruptcy.

"Having failed to build a prosperous South Africa, these parties must now look for any opportunity to deepen divisions from which they can score cheap political points. This is why, when the ANC and their proxies look to Gaza, they do not see human tragedy, rather, they see political opportunity," she explained.

The humanitarian aid group Gift of the Givers said its head Ahmed Abbasi was killed along with his brother in Gaza, while returning from morning prayers on Thursday.

The DA extended its condolences to the Abbasi family, and reiterated its call for civilians to be shielded from "collective punishment", and for international humanitarian law and the Protocols of the Geneva Convention to be upheld.

The DA called for an immediate investigation into the killing of Abbasi, and that those responsible be brought to justice.

"It is for this very reason that it is vital for South Africa to retain diplomatic channels with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority," said Powell.

"The ANC are not peace brokers, they are agent provocateurs. They do not care about international law or human rights, they care only for their own political survival - at whatever cost," alleged Powell.

She added that if the ANC were genuinely interested in peace, human rights, or the rule of law, they would have spoken out against the events currently unfolding in Sudan, where more than 10 000 civilians have been killed amidst some of the most brutal ethnic cleansing the world has witnessed in a generation.

"They would have stood up for the 7-million Sudanese people - 3-million of them children - who have fled into neighbouring countries seeking refuge from the violence, and now comprise the largest displaced population of children anywhere in the world. But, despite the gravity of this tragedy unfolding on the African continent, the ANC has not only remained entirely silent, but has actively worked against advancing peace in the region," she said.

Powell highlighted that the ANC was only interested in inflaming divisions to score political points.

Powell said that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has forgotten that it was "under his party's watch that more than 27 000 of the country's citizens were murdered last year, and on his watch that the national rail network collapsed, and unemployment soared to 42%".

The African National Congress (ANC) said on Thursday that it cannot sit back and watch the "genocidal actions" of the Israeli regime, as it welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement that the South African government has put through a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Hamas launched an assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza and has launched a ground offensive with severe civilian casualties. More than 11 000 people have been killed.

"President Ramaphosa has stated clearly that the ANC-led government as well as the ANC does not condone any form of violence directed at citizens," the party said.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Ramaphosa revealed that the country had made a referral to the ICC, while calling for a ceasefire and once again echoing the two-State model as a solution.

Ramaphosa said the ICC needed to investigate Israel's actions and legal measures needed to be taken at a global level.

The ANC explained that given the unfolding atrocities in occupied Palestine, it would agree to a parliamentary motion which called on government to close the Israel Embassy in South Africa and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until it agrees to a cease-fire.

It also called for binding United Nations-facilitated negotiations whose outcome must be a just, sustainable and lasting peace.

The ANC reiterated its call for a cease-fire and for humanitarian corridors to be fully operational.

Thembisile Majola served just 20 months of her three-year contract as the director-general of the State Security Agency (SSA).

Before taking over in March 2022, the agency had been without a permanent head since Arthur Fraser's departure in 2018.

Announcing Majol's appointment last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa said it was "an important part of government's work to stabilise the country's intelligence services".

In a statement announcing Majola's resignation on Wednesday, the parties had separated "by mutual consent with the president", effective from 30 November 2023.

"The president has expressed his appreciation to ambassador Majola for her contribution to the reform and rebuilding of the State Security Agency. President Ramaphosa wishes ambassador Majola well in all her future endeavours," the statement said.

When announcing Majola's appointment, Ramaphosa said: "Her appointment is expected to give greater impetus to the implementation of the report of the SSA high-level review panel and the recommendations of the expert panel into the July 2021 unrest."

The panel found that: "The police failed to stop the rioting and looting in July 2021. The reasons for this failure are complex and sometimes not of their making. In some instances, they did not get any intelligence upon which to plan operations."

In September, News24 reported that, more than two years after violent unrest swept through KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in the aftermath of former president Jacob Zuma's incarceration for contempt of court, the Hawks had not secured a single conviction.

Majola resigned as deputy minister of energy in 2018 citing family reasons. Before serving in the executive, she held ambassadorships in Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia and Guinea Bissau.

Following her appointment to the SSA, News24 reported that government insiders said Majola had long been on Ramaphosa's radar due to the respect she commanded in security circles as a result of her history serving the African National Congress in exile.

Her resignation is a blow to an institution that has been in disarray since Zuma's presidency.

Last year, News24 reported that organised criminal networks captured and paralysed the SSA by setting up parallel intelligence structures within the agency and looting upwards of R1.5-billion between 2008 and 2018 to serve Zuma's political interests.

South Africans have been spending and transacting less and less as high interest rates, food inflation, load shedding and elevated fuel prices eat away at their income, according to the latest BankservAfrica Economic Transactions Index.

While this index isn't a broadly used indicator, it shows that economic activity declined in the third quarter and that the trend continued into the fourth, with the measure falling to its lowest level in a year. Consumer price inflation and producer price inflation ticked up over the same period and National Treasury trimmed back its forecast for gross domestic product growth in 2023 earlier in November.

Interest rates may still stay on hold

Despite the horrible outlook, the Monetary Policy Committee will likely choose to keep interest rates on hold next week, according to Elize Kruger, an independent economist who contracts to BankservAfrica.

Inflation rose for the past two months on the back of fuel price increases, but a large drop in the cost of petrol due in December may mean the SA Reserve Bank will "look through the blip,'" Kruger said, adding that she sees inflation moving lower and closer to the midpoint of the central bank's 3% to 6% target soon.

The standardised nominal value of transactions cleared through BankservAfrica in October dropped to R1.216-trillion from R1.248-trillion in September and BankservAfrica said that while economic activity generally surprised to the upside during the first half of the year, "a growing number of indicators point to a lacklustre second half".

Supporting BankservAfrica's view, the S&P Global South Africa Purchasing Managers' Index slipped further in October, the Absa Purchasing Managers' Index subsided to 45.4, "remaining below the neutral 50-level for the ninth consecutive month, confirming ongoing strain in the manufacturing sector and new vehicle sales retreated as declining business confidence and reduced disposable income impacted buyers".

So, suffering South Africans are trapped in a cycle of trying to cope with a stagnant economy, interest rates at a 14-year high, one of the world's highest unemployment rates, increasing food costs and a depreciating rand.

"In the short term there will be more of the same and South Africans will feel the pain for at least another three to six months," Kruger said.

Thereafter, we should see some interest rate drops, with cuts of 75 to 100 basis points throughout the course of next year. Further, more electricity capacity is being added to the grid and more people have invested in solar power, decreasing the demand on Eskom. After estimated gross domestic product growth of just 0.9% this year, next year should rebound to 1.8%, Kruger said.

So, while BankservAfrica says it's become increasingly clear that the cumulative impact of the many challenges that have been playing out in the South African economy during the past 18 months is now at its harshest, 2024 may bring some relief.

The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Wednesday said it was ready to oversee the general voters registration weekend on November 18 and 19, and it encouraged registered voters to confirm their personal details by visiting registration stations.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mmabolo was briefing the media, where he explained that owing to amendment to prescripts, it was crucial that voters only vote in the voting districts in which they were registered.

He said that the deviation from this general rule was only allowed on pre-notification to the chief electoral officer by a date to be regulated in terms of the elections timetable.

Mmabolo explained that section 24A has been amended by Parliament to fortify the credibility of the process.

"If you recall there were allegations in 2019 that people had voted multiple times, having gone to their stations and having received a section 24A elsewhere. The relevant people were arrested and brought before the courts… and some of them paid fines to the courts," he said.

He noted that the IEC did not want a repeat of multiple voting, hence Parliament felt it was necessary to strengthen the provision.

Over November 18 and 19, the IEC will welcome eligible citizens at 23 296 registration stations across the country. Registration stations will operate between 08:00 till 17:00 for the two days.

Mmabolo said that opening of registration stations this weekend provided equal opportunity to all South Africans to take part in the voter registration process, explaining that the IEC was approaching the registration weekend with a major expectation of significant registration activity.

He highlighted that the 2022 Census results indicated that the country's population has grown to 62-million inhabitants, with an estimated 39.7-million people of voting age.

He noted that the voter's roll currently stood at 26.2-million registered voters, representing 66% of the estimated voting age population.

"We are approaching this registration weekend informed by the national imperative to increase the coverage of the voter's roll in all its dimensions. We patently wish to indicate that lease agreements pertaining to permanent voting stations have been signed and concluded," he said.

He highlighted that 66% of premises are schools, 9.7% are places of worship and 28% are a mix of community infrastructure. He added that there are a further 959 temporary voting stations across the country.

LOGISTICS - CHECK

Mmabolo explained that Gauteng had the majority of temporary voting stations with 204, the Free State had 180 and Limpopo 150. He highlighted that procurement processes in relation to the provision of temporary infrastructure had also been concluded.

"The institutionalisation of temporary stations ensures that electoral services reach communities which will otherwise not have the services available, they are therefore an important mechanism of extending franchise rights to all eligible citizens. There are 33 mobile voting stations across the country," said Mmabolo.

He said 69 718 staff had been recruited and trained for the registration weekend, 50 213 of the total staff complement were unemployed persons. He highlighted that the commission was giving working opportunities to young and unemployed persons.

Mmabolo explained that Voter Management Devices (VMD) would be used over the two days, and these have three business applications - staff attendance register, voting station monitoring and voter registration applications.

He said the devices were designed to operate online via an access point network, however, he said the three applications had been coded to operate offline in a number of instances, including when there is insufficient connectivity with the central database.

He said the interplay between the online and offline modes of the devices would happen without operator intervention. He added that the VMD dry run was conducted on October 28.

Mmabolo said essential voter registrat...