President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed gratitude to the people of Finland for being a longstanding partner in progress and development.

On Thursday, South Africa will commemorate Freedom Day. Ramaphosa said it was auspicious that Finnish President Sauli Niinistö visited the country this week as it will celebrate 29 years of democracy.

Hosting Niinistö in a State visit in Pretoria, on Tuesday, Ramaphosa highlighted that after South Africa won its democracy in 1994, Finland continued to play an important role in supporting national reconciliation and development cooperation, and it continued to trade and invest in South Africa.

He explained that Finnish people, alongside other Nordic countries, were at the forefront of the global anti-apartheid movement.

Ramaphosa said Finland had always been open to cooperation in pursuit of a better, more egalitarian world, with the highest degree of respect for relations with its partners in developing countries.

For this, in turn, Finland continued to enjoy the country’s highest respect, he said.

“Without the support of Finland and our many other friends, we would not be where we are today,” he said.

He noted that even as South Africa faced enormous challenges, it was not nearly as daunting today as it was in the early days of the country’s democracy.

Just as the country overcame the problems back then, it will do so now, Ramaphosa stated.

GLOBAL COOPERATION

Meanwhile, he highlighted that the international community had an opportunity to set global cooperation along a new trajectory, rooted in mutual respect, and inclusiveness.

Ramaphosa said the community had agreed on a common developmental path in the form of the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and on meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

He explained that Niinistö’s State visit came at the time when the world faced multiple challenges, noting that conflicts and instability around the world were exacerbating existing humanitarian crises, with events in Sudan adding to this volatility.

He went on to highlight that it was known that this conflict had also been polarising, and had seen multilateral systems of governance being called into question and put under scrutiny.

“We are in the midst of a global cost of living crisis. Food and energy prices continue to soar, as has inflation. Household debt is at all-time highs, making it difficult for families to survive,” he said.

He pointed out that small and large businesses were still struggling to return to pre Covid-19 levels of profitability and production, and many national economies were still counting the true cost of the pandemic.

“The poor are particularly vulnerable, and the need for comprehensive social safety support has become even greater than before. Climate change is advancing faster than previously thought, affecting lives and livelihoods around the globe,” Ramaphosa said.

He noted that while it had been agreed on what needed to be done to reduce carbon emissions, developing countries were finding it difficult to secure the resources and technology that would help them transition, without incurring further indebtedness.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA have welcomed the resignation of Al Jama-ah councillor Thapelo Amad as the City of Johannesburg mayor, ahead of a motion of no confidence against him, set for Tuesday.

Both parties believe he did not meet the requirements nor display the temperament to hold the position and say his rise to mayor was owing to the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Patriotic Alliance.

The DA will nominate former City of Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse as its mayoral candidate.

The DA believes that the interests of the residents of Johannesburg are being compromised through the sabotage of service delivery.

ActionSA cemented its commitment to work with opposition parties to provide an ethical and sustainable coalition government.

“We believe that to fix South Africa, we must remove the ANC and their proxies from minority parties from power. We will continue to explore all avenues to collaborate with like-minded political parties to achieve that goal and to restore good governance and quality service delivery to Johannesburg,” said ActionSA City of Johannesburg caucus leader Funzi Ngobeni.

DA Gauteng provincial chairperson Fred Nel noted that Amad resigned before the motion of no confidence to remove him.

“The combined coalition – which includes the ANC, Patriotic Alliance, EFF, and a group of smaller political parties that led Joburg – will decide on a candidate to replace Amad,” noted ANC Gauteng provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi.

The council meeting has been postponed to May 2 when a new mayor will be elected.

African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Fikile Mbalula said on Tuesday that coalitions in the country are "in a state of disaster" but he gave assurances that the ANC is working on leading discussions to bring about stability in hung metros around the country.

Mbalula briefed media on the outcomes of the party’s four-day regular National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where he said the ANC would only work with liberation movements, small parties, community-based organisations, service delivery forums and independent candidates who were committed to redress and correcting the legacy of apartheid and colonialism.

The ANC believes that coalitions must be based on an agreement between involved parties and should be made public.

Former Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Thembi Nkadimeng have been tasked to lead the coalition issues as metros struggle to hold down stable mayoral positions.

“We want stability of these metros. We won’t work with the Democratic Alliance (DA) as they are an apologists to race and racism and as they believe that affirmative action is the problem,” said Mbalula.

He claimed that the DA’s approach was to ignore over 300 years of oppressive rule and prioritise Eskom, which was against the ANC’s approach.

Mbalula stated that the ANC would only work with the DA when they have no choice.

The party also believes that coalitions must be based on an agreement between the involved political parties and that they should be made public.

Among the resolutions is that the majority party should lead the executive.

Mbalula said the ANC will consider working with all parties, except for those that are “toxic”.

ELECTRICITY

Mbalula said the ANC NEC had resolved to help with mitigation plans to save electricity, with the winter surge expected to result in a need for energy load reduction.

He said improvements in power utility Eskom, as well as at power plants, should be closely monitored.

The ANC has resolved to implement a public campaign to encourage households and industries to reduce electricity demand.

Mbalula said all efforts should be towards making sure that places such as hospitals, data centres and national key points were not affected.

The party also called for an immediate and aggressive rollout of solar photovoltaic rooftop installations for households and industries.

On the issues relating to a perceived power struggle between Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and the newly elected Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Mbalula said President Cyril Ramaphosa would give direction on the matter in the coming week.

He said it was Ramaphosa’s responsibility to resolve the issue with speed as “sometimes power runs into the Minister’s heads and results in them losing focus”.

CRIME

The ANC has urged the Justice and Security Cluster to accelerate a focused approach in the fight against violent and hate crimes, which have been on the rise lately.

“If it means soldiers must be deployed, that should happen,” Mbalula said.

The ANC will also launch a major campaign with civil society to mobilise street committees and community policing forums in various areas.

“The police alone and the cluster as much as we call them in the front, they will not win alone in the fight against crime without working with communities. To this extent the ANC will convene peace and stability to lead this approach and restrategise, intensify our efforts in the fight against crime. There is no time to waste. That is the call of the NEC,” Mbalula stated.

ActionSA, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) said on Monday they were waiting to see if the Democratic Alliance (DA) would support Tuesday’s Motions of No Confidence to remove the “disastrous” City of Johannesburg Mayor Thapelo Amad, as well as the Speaker and Chief Whip in Johannesburg.

The parties noted that the DA’s own caucus in Johannesburg has filed its own Motions of No Confidence against the same people.

DA leader John Steenhuisen communicated that the party will not participate in any coalition that could replace the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Over the weekend political parties received letters from Steenhuisen in which the DA said it would not form part of a coalition that involves the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in Johannesburg in the near future.

This follows a meeting held on April 19 between leadership of the DA, ActionSA, PA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus and ACDP to discuss the support for Motions of No Confidence to remove Amad, and to replace his ANC and EFF government with a multi-party coalition including the parties that elected Mayor Mpho Phalatse in November 2021.

The political parties explained that the DA’s refusal to work with the PA is effectively sending the message that a coalition that includes the PA is worse than the ‘doomsday’ scenario.

“The work of keeping the ANC and EFF out in 2024, and removing them next week in Joburg, cannot be exclusive or elitist and it requires link-minded political parties to put aside their differences to fix South Africa. It is worth noting that the DA’s refusal to form a coalition with the PA has resulted in the multi-party coalition in Tshwane continuing without a majority following the resignation of a DA ward councillor. This vacancy resulted in the failure to pass the Adjustments Budget, and the failure to bring the PA on board may prevent the passing of the 2023/24 Tshwane budget in May,” the parties said.

They went on to explain that it was clear that the ANC and EFF were forcing compromised mayors, like Amad, on Joburg residents.

“Amad has proven to be entirely incapable of governing the City, and has no coherent vision. If the DA is indeed committed to good governance, it should work to remove Amad and elect a mayor that is capable of leading a city with complex challenges like Johannesburg,” they said.

The political parties want the DA to rethink its approach and to “do the right thing” by the residents of Johannesburg and all South Africans who seek a viable alternative to the ANC and EFF in 2024.

“Our parties are mindful of the need to build consensus around a multi-party coalition to unseat the ANC and EFF in 2024 and it is in this spirit that we do not berate the DA. We rather urge them to return to the table and reconsider the dire implications of their position. The removal of this ANC and EFF puppet government is no longer a Johannesburg project but rather one with national consequence to the future of our country. Now is the time to back up stated intentions of cooperation that benefit all South Africans with real actions,” the parties said.

South Africa's ambassador to the BRICS group of nations, Anil Sooklal, told a gathering of the bloc countries on Monday that the world was facing several situations simultaneously - but not once was Russia's war in Ukraine mentioned.

Sooklal opened the 9th session of the meeting of BRICS deputy ministers and special envoys responsible for the Middle East and North Africa in Cape Town.

Speaking to representatives of the group, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Sooklal said the meeting came at a critical moment in human history.

"It has been said that not since the Cold War has the world been in such crisis. [There are] a number of situations that we are confronting simultaneously, not just major power conflicts but also the issues around climate change, biodiversity loss anti-globalisation and the impact of so-called new technologies, the fourth industrial revolution," he said.

He spoke about the conflict in Sudan, as well as climate change and the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, and his fellow ambassadors echoed his sentiments.

"We are extremely concerned about the developments in Sudan. We need to look at what we can do to see the cessation of hostilities between the warring parties. A return to peace and negotiations is what we want to see," he said.

But there wasn't a single mention of Russia's war in Ukraine from any of the other ambassadors who were present.

The South African government maintains that diplomacy and dialogue is the only path to resolving the bloody war between Russia and Ukraine.

A year after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, South Africa has not shifted its position on the invasion and has maintained a neutral stance.

In October, South Africa was one of 35 countries that abstained from a vote condemning Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories.

Among the despair globally, Sooklal said there was some sunshine after a diplomatic deal was brokered between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

China was a central figure in restoring diplomatic relations between the superpowers in the Middle East.

"The issue we also put on the table is that for any semblance of peace to take root in the Middle East, first and foremost, we need Saudi Arabia and Iran to come together as the leading powers of the region.

"The groundwork that was undertaken manifested itself through China's intervention in the brokering of a deal to begin the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. We want to extend our gratitude to the Chinese leadership and it makes us proud that a fellow Brics country is manifesting what Brics stands for," he said.

Sooklal also said the BRICS nations stood for an inclusive world and for addressing peace and security through dialogue and in engaging with "all our global partners in the global South and North".

Countries with differences should be left to figure out solutions to their problems.

"As South Africa, we have always maintained that the countries of the region should be left to resolve their differences. We have always spoken out against outside interference because we have seen that outside interference has been the precursor to fractious relations in that region. We have seen the appetite of countries in that region to chart a path of peace and development."

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA's) bills to limit motions of no confidence in mayors in order to create more stable coalitions, are ready to be tabled in Parliament, the party’s chief whip Siviwe Gwarube announced on Monday.

Last month, the first suite of Bills was published in the Government Gazette for public comment, and according to Gwarube, the Constitution Nineteenth Amendment Bill and the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill are now ready to be deliberated on in Parliament.

"These two bills seek to achieve stability in all spheres of government by limiting the number and the circumstances under which motions of no confidence can be moved in a mayor, premier or the president. While motions of no confidence are a crucial accountability mechanism, they are susceptible to abuse as we have seen at a local government level," said Gwarube in a statement.

"Limiting the frequency and placing clear grounds under which these can be moved and voted on, will see a level of stability that is needed for effective service delivery. Firewalling governments against this kind of disruption will serve citizens better than is currently the case," she added.

While the legislative amendments seek to limit motions of no confidence, they do contain a "safety net" to allow motions in exceptional circumstances, such as a violation of the Constitution or law, misconduct, or the inability to perform the functions of office.

"This is a much higher threshold for a motion of no confidence and forces the movers to base these in fact or in law," Gwarube said.

"Currently, coalition governments may be voted in, and pass a budget that they may never get to deliver against. It is impossible to hold these governments to account for good governance practices and services delivery if they change frequently, and often due to backroom deals that have no intention on serving the people which should always be the main priority of any government.

"It is critical that Parliament is proactive in creating a legislative framework that would ensure governance stability and reliable service delivery."

Just this week, Johannesburg Mayor Thapelo Amed and council Speaker Collen Makhubela are facing motions of no confidence. If the motion passes, whoever is elected mayor will be the fourth for the City of Johannesburg in the space of a few months.

Furthermore, the DA also gazetted a Bill to amend the Municipal Structures Act to introduce electoral thresholds at a local government level for public comment. This will be the third in the four-part suite of legislation.

"As we had committed last year, the DA will bring these pieces of legislation to the floor of Parliament so that we stabilise current and future coalition governments," said Gwarube.

"As lawmakers, nothing else is more important. The DA will continue to lobby various political parties in and outside of Parliament to support these legislative changes we seek to bring. South Africans are looking to their elected representatives for solutions to the coalition governments instability and service delivery throttling."

While the DA’s private members’ bills have traditionally been shot down by the ANC, the governing party has made similar noises about legislation to ensure stable coalitions.

Answering questions in the National Council of Provinces on Thursday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said coalitions were becoming the order of the day in local government.

"We need a regulatory framework. We must fix the way coalition governments are set up," he said.

"We need to get the model right."

Mashatile said a framework developed by the SA Local Government Association (Salga) could be used to implement coalitions practically.

"The government will review the impact of dysfunctional coalition arrangements and its effect on service delivery. We are particularly concerned that municipalities are derailed because of endless disruptions of coalition governments," he said.

The ANC has, however, been a keen parti...

The African National Congress (ANC) Veterans League has call on the Presidency to reconsider awarding State-capture implicated poet, filmmaker, and producer Duma Ndlovu with the Order of Ikhamanga until he is cleared of allegations against him.

This follows allegations that Ndlovu was involved in the collapse and capture of the South African Revenue Service under former president Jacob Zuma's administration.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will bestow national orders on Tuesday.

On Thursday, however, ANC convenor Snuki Zikalala expressed deep concern over Ndlovu's inclusion, saying that it would "tarnish" the award's reputation.

In a statement issued on behalf of the veterans' national task team, Zikalala said such a "prestigious" award should solely be given to struggle activists.

"The Veterans League believes that the national orders are of a very prestigious nature and should only be awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the struggle against apartheid and the building of our democracy," he added.

It has written to the chancellor of the national order and director-general in the Presidency, Phindile Baleni, to have Ndlovu's name removed until he has been cleared of all state capture allegations.

The Zondo Commission revealed that the founder of Word of Mouth and Ambrobrite received funding for introducing consultancy firm Bain and Company to Zuma and for providing strategic advice.

During the State Capture Inquiry, former Bain partner Athol Williams disclosed that the company paid R3.6-million a year to Ndlovu and producer, Mandla KaNozulu.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told News24: "Rather please wait for the announcement to be made on all the objections that have been received."

The national order award is the highest recognition the country can present to people, locally and across the continent, who have contributed to society, democracy, and its people.

Other recipients include Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, and Generations creator Mfundi Vundla.

The family of murdered Gauteng health department whistleblower Babita Deokaran has hailed her as a freedom fighter for exposing corruption at Tembisa Hospital.

Deokaran's brother-in-law, Tony Haripersad, and her sister, Renu Williams, spoke to News24 on Thursday at the Johannesburg premiere of its investigative documentary Silenced: Why Babita Deokaran was murdered.

Deokaran was a senior finance official at the Gauteng Department of Health. She flagged suspicious payments of R850-million that was paid to shell companies and politicians, among others.

The News24 documentary exposed corruption at the hospital and the health department's failure to protect her after she raised safety concerns.

She was murdered outside her home in Johannesburg south in August 2021.

On Thursday, South Africans will commemorate Freedom Day, and Haripersad and Williams said the family considered Deokaran a freedom fighter "who couldn't stomach the exploitation of the poor".

"She couldn't turn a blind eye while the poor were being exploited. That wasn't her," Williams said.

Haripersad said Deokaran was a freedom fighter who died doing the right thing.

"She was one of the conscientious employees, and to her, earning a salary was a matter of doing the right thing. She laid down her life because of this. She fought for our freedom and the poor," Haripersad added.

Haripersad said the arrests of six people in connection with Deokaran's murder is not enough because the masterminds who ordered the hit were still free.

"Our desire is that the perpetrators must be brought to book. Not just the six who carried out the hit, but those who ordered it – the masterminds behind the crime. Peace-loving people around the world want to see justice served," he said.

Williams said the family struggled to cope with Deokaran's death and was trying to support her daughter, Thiara.

"She misses her mother, and it's been tough for her. We can do as much as possible, but nobody can ever replace her mom, nobody. She is left with a void, and it will be there for the rest of her life," she said.

Thiara, now in matric, was in Grade 10 when her mother was murdered. Williams said the teen asked not to attend the premiere as it would have been too emotional for her.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile on Friday expressed his condolences to the family of Tiego Moseneke following his passing on Wednesday evening.

Moseneke, brother to retired judge Dikgang Moseneke, together with Mashatile, fought during the liberation struggle. Mashatile hailed him a fearless freedom fighter.

Mashatile said he respected Tiego’s intelligence and political and business acumen.

He considered Moseneke a “brother, comrade, and an advisor” and revealed that he had consulted Moseneke when he was approached to avail himself for Deputy President.

“His overall contribution to society as an activist, lawyer, and businessman will leave a lasting legacy that would benefit generations to come. With Tiego’s passing, we have lost a measured man with a lucid mind who remained an activist until his last day. We, too, will continue to reminisce about the time we shared with him in prison, in the trenches, underground as well as post 1994,” said Mashatile.

In the hope of ensuring that history is not repeated, the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) justice and constitutional development spokesperson, Glynnis Breytenbach, has asked for a copy of the country's request for the extradition of Atul and Rajesh Gupta.

Breytenbach told News24 their request for the documents was not to challenge them or be malicious but rather to try and assist.

She said: "I want to read it; I know about the extradition. If something was done wrong, we can fix it. [It's] not to punish anyone, not to humiliate anybody. I mean, we all want the Guptas back.

"If there were some conditions not met, [we must ensure] that we don't make the same mistake again in the future because, no doubt again, we will have to apply for an extradition in whatever country they now find themselves in."

In a statement released on Monday, Breytenbach said the DA would write to National Director of the Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi to obtain a copy of the extradition application.

Early this month, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola revealed that a request to have the Gupta brothers extradited from the United Arab Emirates had been dismissed.

South Africa only found out this month but the decision was already made in February.

She elaborated in the statement that the party also sought to understand why UAE officials took six weeks to communicate the final decision to Lamola and senior prosecution officials.

"We will also be seeking to understand why communication between the UAE authorities broke down to the point that the outcome of the extradition application was only communicated via a diplomatic note almost two months after the hearing took place on 13 February 2023."

Breytenbach said there was nothing to achieve from possibly acquiring the forms because "the extradition application had failed, the Guptas have been set free."

She added, "Who knows where they are in the world? They're certainly not in the United Arabs Emirates anymore."

News24 previously reported that the UAE judiciary had advised South African officials to prepare a new request if they wanted to extradite the Guptas.

The National Prosecuting Authority is still waiting for an explanation for the rejection of its Gupta extradition request and for the delay.