ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni on Thursday dubbed the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) motions of no confidence against City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and Council Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu as an "opportunistic ploy aimed at exploiting a city already in deep crisis".

On Wednesday the DA announced that it had submitted the motions, citing that under the current leadership, basic services were crumbling, and communities were being neglected.

"There is no denying the deep governance crisis that has gripped the City of Johannesburg. Basic services are failing, infrastructure is crumbling, and residents have lost trust in their city's leadership. ActionSA has not hesitated to confront these failures - evident in our principled opposition to the Adjustment Budget that sought to impose an unfair R230 electricity surcharge on residents," explained Ngobeni.

However, he believes that the DA's motion is not a "sincere effort" to restore sound governance, but rather a "cheap ploy", to deepen instability.

"The endless spinning of the mayoral carousel, without any credible plan, offers residents no relief. It is a distraction and must be exposed for what it truly is - political theatre cloaked in hollow virtue," he stated.

He accused the DA of being at the centre of collapsing its own multi-party government in Johannesburg, led by former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse.

"At a critical moment when compromise could have preserved stable governance, ActionSA offered to sacrifice two out of our three Executive seats to accommodate the Patriotic Alliance - a good-faith proposal that the DA arrogantly rejected," he said.

He said the DA's refusal to save their own mayor, opened the door to the African National Congress-led coalition that now governs the city.

"…the DA's refusal to share power in the interest of residents directly contributed to the dysfunction they now claim to oppose. Johannesburg continues to bear the cost of their political intransigence," he said.

MISREPRESENTATION AND POLITICAL GRANDSTANDING

Meanwhile, Ngobeni pointed out that Mthembu had a constitutional responsibility to uphold order and impartiality in Council proceedings.

"While we reject the DA's deliberate misrepresentation of her conduct, ActionSA remains committed to accountability. All our public representatives are subject to monthly internal performance reviews to ensure they uphold the highest standards of public service," he explained.

He noted that ironically, Mthembu had been at the forefront of leading the City's Integrated Development Plan (IDP) public participation process - a process, he claims, the DA and its councillors have chosen to disregard.

"While the IDP public participation sessions continue until 12 May 2025, providing residents with a vital opportunity to influence service delivery and budget priorities, DA Ward Councillors have consistently failed to attend or mobilise their communities to participate.

"This dereliction of duty directly undermines the democratic process, and lays bare the DA's hypocrisy. It raises a serious question about whether the tabling of this motion is a deliberate attempt to deflect from their own failures at grassroots level," he pointed out.

Ngobeni further accused the DA of political grandstanding and said his party would scrutinise the DA's motions to determine whether they genuinely served the public interest.

"The DA's decision to table these motions without first engaging other parties underscores a clear lack of constructive intent. Their refusal to consult, even while knowing that no single party holds a majority and that a successful motion requires 136 Councillors, exposes the performative nature of their actions.

"With only 70 Councillors, especially after losing a crucial ward to the Patriotic Alliance, it is evident that the DA's approach is not about building consensus to address the city's governance challenges, but rather about grandstanding and undermining any real effort to ...

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) said while it respected the independence of the judiciary and its mandate to interpret the Constitution, it firmly believes that the right to citizenship must be treated "with the seriousness it deserves", arguing against dual citizenship for South Africans.

The party noted Tuesday's Constitutional Court judgment, which declared Section 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act unconstitutional, saying it was not surprised that this matter was taken to court by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The DA celebrated the victory of its application to secure the citizenship of South Africans with dual nationality.

The DA argued the constitutional invalidity of a section of the Citizenship Act, which terminated the South African citizenship of persons who did not apply for a retention-of-citizenship before voluntarily obtaining a secondary citizenship in another country.

The section had previously meant South Africans who voluntarily acquired citizenship in another country would automatically forfeit their South African citizenship unless they applied to retain it beforehand.

The ANCYL accused the DA of serving the interests of "foreign and elitist forces".

"Their actions once again expose who they are working for: those who exploit our laws to escape accountability and avoid real contribution to our national development," it said.

Citizenship, the ANCYL argued, was not a mere administrative status, but a commitment to a country, its people, and its future.

The ANCYL expressed concerns that the court ruling opened the door to "dual loyalties", as it believed that the country needed "focused, active citizens".

"South Africans must decide: are you in or are you out? One cannot enjoy the privileges of being South African while pledging allegiance to another State," it said, stating that national identity must be protected from dilution.

The ANCYL has invited the youth to make submissions to the ongoing constitutional review process.

"This is an opportunity for the youth to raise their voices on matters that affect their future and ensure that our Constitution reflects the lived realities and aspirations of this generation. Submissions can be made through the official platforms provided by Parliament, and we encourage all progressive youth to seize this moment," the ANCYL said.

It further called for a national discussion on "the meaning of citizenship" in a post-Apartheid democratic State.

"…we cannot allow our laws to be hijacked by those with dual passports and divided interests, who run to South Africa when it's convenient and abandon it when it's time to contribute meaningfully. We remain committed to advancing the interests of young people who have no other home but South Africa, and who are ready to build and defend it with everything they have," the Youth League said.

The African National Congress (ANC) has met with the Afrikaner Leadership Network, which includes the Solidarity Movement, Solidarity and AfriForum, and described discussions as "robust and frank".

The meeting held on Tuesday, was facilitated by the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania which had held prior meetings with the ANC and the Afrikaner Leadership Network.

The parties said they discussed various issues of national interest, and stated that the meeting was a clear indication that South Africans had a collective responsibility to address the country's challenges.

The parties said they identified issues around which they were committed to find South African solutions, "in the interest of a diverse and united nation".

In March the Solidarity Movement and its sister organisation, AfriForum, made a trip to the US, to discuss concerns regarding South Africa's policies.

This after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Expropriation Bill, which was met with criticism for its clause on nil compensation in certain cases.

The Solidarity Movement was criticised for this move, with many blaming it for creating a campaign of misinformation that led to US President Donald Trump cutting funding to South Africa.

The Solidarity Movement said at the time that the ANC must accept responsibility for the diplomatic crisis with the US owing to what it termed the party's "reckless policies".

Ahead of Wednesday's State of the City Address, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg has submitted motions of no confidence in City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and Council Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu.

DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku stated that her party believed that under the current leadership, basic services were crumbling and communities were being neglected.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku accused Morero of failing citizens of the City, and claimed that his administration had been marked by "mismanagement, patronage networks, and a disturbing lack of transparency".

"Equally troubling is the Speaker's failure to uphold her constitutional role as an impartial guardian of council processes. Instead of ensuring fair and robust oversight, she has consistently shielded the mayor, undermining council's ability to hold the executive accountable," Kayser-Echeozonjoku added.

She accused Mthembu of being biased, which she sayid had "stifled critical decision-making, suppressed legitimate scrutiny, and eroded the democratic integrity of the council chamber".

She said Mthembu's actions, showed that she was no longer independent and that she is "a political ally of the mayor".

Kayser-Echeozonjoku went on to claim that between Morero and Mthembu, council had turned into what she termed a political playground, while she said residents suffered the consequences of poor governance.

"We owe it to every resident to fight for a council that works, a mayor who leads, and a speaker who upholds the rules with fairness and impartiality. We urge all councillors, irrespective of party affiliation, to support the DA's motions and join us in fighting for a city that works for all its people," the party highlighted.

The latest Altron FinTech Household Resilience Index (AFHRI) has improved, for the third consecutive quarter, following a series of repo rate cuts between September 2024 and January 2025.

While the three 25 basis points cuts have led to a modest improvement in the financial positions of South Africa's households, citizens are "not out of the woods yet", AFHRI's fourth quarter of 2024 report has found.

Economist Dr Roelof Botha, who compiles the index on behalf of Altron FinTech, pointed out that the increase in the AFHRI during the fourth quarter of 2024 reflected the seasonal influence of year-end bonuses, as well as temporary jobs created during the summer holiday season.

In addition, withdrawals from pension funds and other investments related to the two-pot system, which started in the third quarter of 2024, artificially inflated the performance of the AFHRI, an effect that is likely to become more subdued during 2025 and that is detrimental to the financial disposition of households in the longer term.

When these indicators are included at their values recorded in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, the AFHRI's year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter increases drop to 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively.

Botha commented that, from a longer-term perspective, it is also concerning that households have been sacrificing considerably more of their incomes on servicing debt - a direct result of the restrictive monetary policy over the past three years.

"At the latest meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank, the rate-cutting cycle was halted, which will prevent the debt cost burden of households from dropping to a level that would encourage a more permanent recovery of household expenditure - the key driver of aggregate demand in the economy," Botha said.

"In the event of the country's monetary authorities appreciating the dire need for higher growth and employment creation, further rate cuts will be on the cards."

However, the economy is unlikely to grow at more than 1.5% in real terms until the prime overdraft rate declines to between the pre-Covid rate of 10% and the rate of 7% immediately after the Covid lockdowns were lifted. The prime overdraft rate is currently 11%.

"The AFHRI's four-quarter average indicator has started to recover but remains barely above the level recorded at the end of 2021, when the MPC started its relentless cycle of interest rate increases, despite lacklustre GDP growth and an obvious absence of excess demand in the economy."

The ratio of household debt costs to disposable incomes, while having declined to 8.9%, remains significantly higher than the 6.8% level in 2021.

Further, the cost of credit, and of capital formation, in the South African economy remains 31% higher than four years ago - one of the main reasons for the lethargic economic growth rate that moved in tandem with each increase in the repo rate.

"The decision by the MPC at its March policy meeting not to lower the repo rate further is regrettable, as several key economic indicators continue to show weakness, with business confidence having retracted since the beginning of the year," Botha continued.

The S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index for South Africa fell to 47.4 in January 2025, down from 49.9 in December, marking the sharpest contraction in the private sector since July 2021.

"Although it recovered to 48.3 in March 2025, it has now been in contraction territory - below 50 - for four successive months. The main reason for the decline in this indicator is weak demand that has driven further declines in output and in new orders."

Further, Botha indicated the marginal lowering of interest rates had not been sufficient to lift the building construction sector out of its deep recession.

The Afrimat Construction Index for the fourth quarter of 2024 showed a marginal 0.5% quarter-on-quarter increase, below the rate recorded for the country's GDP.

The lengthy and steep decline in the values of building plans passe...

The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) warned on Tuesday that South Africa's public service is in a critical condition, characterised by a lack of professionalism and rampant political interference, but noted the potential of the Government of National Unity (GNU) to be a game changer.

South Africa's poorly functioning public service had led to a decline in service delivery and an increase in corruption and inefficiency, the IRR said.

Speaking the launch of the IRR's paper on South Africa's public service, IRR project manager Terence Corrigan said the GNU had the potential to be a major game changer in the country, noting that the dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) had crashed, adding that he did not see it coming back.

"…more remarkable though was the Democratic Alliance and the ANC sharing the government podium; now I am sure this needs no further comment, that this is a very difficult relationship," he said.

He highlighted that one thing both parties seemed to agree on was the need for a better-quality administration through the creation of a professional, merit-based public service that prioritised the needs of all citizens and addressed governance issues.

The IRR paper on South Africa's public service, discusses the State and challenges with South Africa's public service, emphasising the need for reform and a merit-based, non-partisan approach to governance in the context of a coalition government.

It notes that public servants have often ignored formal work mandates and pursued personal or political goals.

"The central failing is the ineffective institutionalisation of the public service. Political formations and criminal networks have infiltrated public service operations. Long-standing staff may prioritise loyalty to criminal syndicates over public service duties," it pointed out.

Corrigan explained that these issues had persisted through various administrations, culminating in a crisis of governance.

The IRR paper points to reports as far back as 2009 and 2012, which highlighted critical shortcomings in local governance and the need for a capable State.

The National Development Plan emphasised the importance of insulating the public service from political interference, noting that by the end of former President Jacob Zuma's presidency, there was widespread recognition of the public service's inadequacies.

Free Speech Union South Africa MD Sara Gon said that to address the issues within the public service, a multi-faceted reform approach was necessary, focusing on depoliticisation, operational control, and enhancing capacity, saying cadre deployment had been an enemy in this respect during ANC presidencies.

She pointed out that reforms should target political and policy-related roots, operational control, and capacity enhancement.

"Key areas include depoliticising the public service, improving leadership and management, and enhancing recruitment and training. The public service must be reoriented to fulfil a developmental role in society," said Gon.

She noted that the politicisation of the civil service through cadre deployment must be decisively addressed to restore professionalism and meritocracy.

"Cadre deployment lacks constitutional justification and should be completely abandoned. The Public Service Commission should regain its authority to oversee public service operations. A cultural shift is needed to view the State as a public trust rather than a political prize," she explained.

She highlighted that effective leadership and management were crucial for improving the public service, focusing on accountability and employee engagement.

The African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday condemned the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) constitutional challenge against the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA), describing it as an attempt to undermine the Act and a direct assault on the foundation of South Africa's transformation journey.

The DA will argue in court on Tuesday against what it believes is the introduction of rigid national race quotas in the workplace.

The DA will be taking Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth to court over Section 15A of the Act's alleged violation of Section 9 of the Constitution, which it says represents a "radical and harmful" departure from previous employment equity law.

Last week, DA spokesperson on Employment and Labour Michael Bagraim said the quotas would "destroy jobs, undermine the economy, and violate the constitutional rights of all South Africans".

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the DA was taking "regressive action" which she said was an affront to the Constitution and undermined the sacrifices made by those who fought against apartheid.

"The National Constitution has correctly defined black as inclusive of Africans, coloureds and Indians. The DA's court challenge against Section 15A of the EEAA which introduces sector-specific numerical targets to correct racial imbalances in the workplace reveals its enduring opposition to redress and equality," said Bhengu-Motsiri.

She said the DA's campaign to label this legislation as "anti-merit" was a "wilful distortion of reality".

". . . it ignores the brutal legacy of Apartheid, which for centuries denied black South Africans the right to land, quality education, employment, and dignity. In such a context, talking about 'merit' without transformation is an insult to the millions who remain excluded," she explained.

The Employment Equity Act was not about quotas, but about justice, she said, adding that it aimed to correct structural imbalances in the economy and ensure that all South Africans had a fair shot at opportunity.

She argued that Section 15A did not eliminate merit but created the conditions in which merit could be meaningfully pursued by addressing the under-representation of Africans, coloured, and Indian South Africans in key sectors of the economy.

"This is a constitutional imperative, not a political favour. We must remind the DA and its allies that South Africa's Constitution explicitly recognises the need to redress past injustices and to achieve substantive equality," she said.

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille pointed out on Monday that her party supported a redress system that encouraged economic growth, created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and significantly improved the education and training system.

But she described the Amendment Act as draconian and said it fell far short of the required constitutional benchmark.

However, Bhengu-Motsiri said the EEAA was a critical tool in realising the vision for equality, particularly as white South Africans, who make up less than 8% of the population, still dominate top management positions in the private sector.

"The DA's persistent campaign against transformation reveals its dangerous agenda to entrench the privileges of the past and preserve the Apartheid-era economic status quo under the guise of constitutionalism. It is a betrayal of the democratic gains we have made and a slap in the face of the black working class, women, and the youth who continue to bear the brunt of inequality and unemployment," she stated.

With Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana set to table South Africa's third iteration of the 2025 national Budget to Parliament on May 21, Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso says the only way forward is to reduce expenditure within government's means.

While this exercise is politically difficult, Mavuso believes the country is in dire need of a mature and honest assessment of what parts of government are delivering value to taxpayers and which are not.

"While it is good that our Budget is subject to democratic interrogation, the Government of National Unity, as well as others in Parliament, must show they have the political bravery to make decisions that won't please everyone," she states.

She explains that government often sets up new projects and creates new spending lines, which are well and good, but not when it leads to a proliferation of entities, not all of which deliver value for money.

Mavuso attributes the difficult process to having a final, approved Budget this year to mediocre economic growth, since growth that generates government revenue effectively can lead to sustainable public spending.

South Africa's already low economic growth has been exacerbated by trade wars since February, with the economic growth expectations for the country now being markedly lower than when the first Budget was presented.

"This means there will be less tax revenue available to government as businesses become less profitable and consumers spend less.

"The situation we must budget for now is worse than it was two months ago," Mavuso points out.

To not compound the bleak economic outlook, Mavuso suggests the Budget not increase debt levels, especially since the National Treasury has worked hard to turn around the crisis that government finances were in five years ago.

Should South Africa again achieve investment-grade credit ratings, it will result in a lower cost of debt for government and the whole economy; however, if debt levels increase, investors will demand higher interest rates to buy government's debt, consume more tax money and damage economic growth.

In this scenario there are only two real choices, Mavuso explains, to increase taxes to allow for higher government revenue or to decrease expenses. Treasury initially proposed to increase the value-added tax rate to raise more revenue, but this has been roundly rejected.

In terms of other taxes, personal income and corporate taxes are already high by global standards; therefore, implementing increases to these taxes will lead to people and businesses shifting economic activity out of South Africa.

Of course, Mavuso says, there is much else the country can do to improve growth, including continuing the collaborative relationship between business and government in driving structural reforms.

She confirms that the next meeting between organised business and government is due to take place on May 9, which can take into account the impact of tariffs proposed by the US, when the stakeholders revisit the goal of delivering 3% economic growth rate by the end of the year.

"We must redouble our efforts to drive reforms to improve the performance of our economy and global conditions have just made the task more urgent. We must think carefully about how opportunities have shifted and ensure our partnership and plans are geared for the world as it now is," Mavuso says.

She stresses that the country must escape the low-growth trap it has been in for more than ten years, which will "require brave and innovative thinking" amid the new global environment.

With some people and political parties calling for South Africa's labour laws to be relaxed in response to the prevailing economic climate and high unemployment rate, President Cyril Ramaphosa argues that stimulating economic growth and job creation and retaining worker protections are not mutually exclusive.

In a weekly letter published on May 5, the President emphasises that worker rights have been found to improve productivity and thereby enhance the growth of companies and the economy, and that these are also helping to distribute the benefits of growth more equally and improve economic stability.

Moreover, South Africa's labour laws are part of the effort to overcome the structural inequality of apartheid, he points out.

He highlights progress over the past 31 years in improving labour laws and protecting workers' rights as including the introduction of a National Minimum Wage; measures to advance worker ownership in companies; and the implementation of the Employment Equity Act, which prohibits unfair discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, pregnancy and marital status.

Despite progress, there is still much work to be done to end the race-based disparities in the country's economy, Ramaphosa notes, citing the latest report of the Employment Equity Commission as evidence.

This shows that despite Africans constituting the majority of the economically active population, the majority of top management positions in the private sector are still held by white males. This trend is observed at senior management level in nearly every economic category. Black South Africans are predominantly in the semi-skilled and unskilled categories.

Therefore, while there has been much improvement since the advent of employment equity legislation, not enough has been done to change the racial composition of the ownership, control and management of the country's economy, Ramaphosa emphasises.

He adds that employment equity is not the only area where challenges remain, with the International Labour Organisation highlighting problems of compliance with labour laws in South Africa and inadequate safeguards for workers in the burgeoning informal sector.

Therefore, part of South Africa's 2025 presidency of the Group of Twenty involves engagements with labour over the consolidation of worker rights, Ramaphosa informs, highlighting "fruitful" discussions regarding this with the International Trade Union Confederation and others.

"Despite these challenges, as a country, we will continue to use our progressive labour laws to correct the imbalances of the past, and to ensure that these protections translate into tangible benefits for workers," Ramaphosa assures the public.

He calls on business in particular to take the necessary measures to ensure their workplaces reflect both the letter and spirit of laws such as the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

"Companies should go beyond compliance by actively fostering diversity and inclusion as envisaged in our Constitution by addressing historical inequalities and create opportunities for under-represented groups among their workers, such as women, the youth and persons with disabilities.

"They should also ensure that their workplaces are spaces where dignity, respect and human rights are upheld in daily practice and not just in policies," Ramaphosa emphasises.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday expressed its readiness for Tuesday's court action, in which it will argue for fair access to jobs and employment for all South Africans.

The party has launched a constitutional challenge, arguing that the Employment Equity Amendment Act discriminates "unfairly and unconstitutionally".

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille pointed out that while the Constitution allowed fair discrimination to achieve redress, it must meet the fairness benchmark set out in Section 9.

Zille described the Amendment Act as draconian and said it fell far short of the required constitutional benchmark.

She said it was "grossly unfair and gave totalitarian powers of social engineering" to Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth, who she said would be able to set rigid national targets for every economic sector, without any regard to the context of specific firms, and impose extremely heavy fines and the risk of criminal conviction for failure to meet them.

Zille said this could no longer be classified as a target, arguing that this amounted to an enabling law for the Minister to set rigid quotas, which she said had previously been found by the courts to be unconstitutional.

She noted that her party supported a redress system that encouraged economic growth, created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and significantly improved the education and training system.

She pointed out that jobs were created by companies that invested in South Africa, noting that the "draconian labour regime created by the Employment Equity Amendment Act will continue to drive away investment and predictably increase unemployment".

"Companies and potential investors have repeatedly cited these social engineering laws as major barriers to investment and growth. It is completely senseless to knowingly intensify a discriminatory regime that has already failed so spectacularly to empower economically marginalised people. This is what the evidence demonstrates. And that is why we will continue to oppose policies keeping millions of people in poverty," she explained.

Zille argued that should this law be enacted, people belonging to a specific group concentrated in a geographical area, could face exclusion from employment based on national quotas set by the Minister.

Zille said the DA was committed to redress for the millions of South Africans who remained economically excluded owing to the legacy of apartheid.

"We believe the most effective form of redress is a job. The African National Congress's Employment Equity regime continues the bitter legacy of the past because it is one of the key factors driving our country's skyrocketing unemployment rate," she said.

She pointed out that government policy could either encourage real empowerment, or continue to benefit an already empowered elite, increasingly competing over a shrinking number of jobs.

"We have already learnt where that leads, and we cannot allow ourselves to repeat the same mistakes over and over again," she said.

She said racial quotas were dehumanising and unjust, because they reduced people to statistics, ignoring talent and effort.

The DA said it also has a technical challenge to the Employment Amendment Act, which is that it was incorrectly tagged under Section 75 of the Constitution.

"This Act will profoundly affect different provinces and therefore should have been tagged under Section 76 of the Constitution," explained Zille.

SABOTAGE OF TRANSFORMATION GOALS

Meanwhile, Meth said the DA's challenge of the amendments to the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 is a clear attempt to "reverse the progress" made since 1994 and maintain the unfair status quo.

She highlighted that the Amendment Act empowers the Minister of Employment and Labour to set numerical targets for equitable representation of suitably qualified individuals from designated groups at all occupational levels, noting that this is done after consulting relevant sectors and with the advice of the C...