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Police Minister Bheki Cele has urged police officers to "be the first to act" and use "proportional force" in the line of duty.

Cele was addressing mourners at the funeral of Sergeant Kedimetse Masilo in Schweizer-Reneke, North West, on Sunday.

Masilo and her colleague, Constable Okaetse Mandindi, both attached to the Kimberley Flying Squad, were tracing a hired sedan that was allegedly stolen en route from Bloemfontein when the driver of the vehicle shot them last week.

Both officers died in the line of duty.

Masilo had 16 years of service at the time of her death, while Mandindi had served for 11 years.

The driver was later arrested outside Kimberley. The 38-year-old man, Daniel Alberts, is reportedly a "repeat offender", according to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

"The perpetrator has already appeared before the Kimberley Magistrate's Court on two counts of murder, three of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one of motor vehicle theft and one of theft," said Mathe.

Those in attendance at Masilo's funeral included Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong, Northern Cape Community Safety MEC Nomandla Bloem, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Northern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola.

Cele urged police officers not to hesitate to act.

"Be vigilant and operationally ready to act in any circumstances. If force is required, it must at all times be necessary, reasonable and proportional. I plead with you, don't die with the resources and tools that we have given you," said Cele.

Mandindi's funeral is expected to take place on Saturday in Pampierstad.

A commemoration for officers killed in the line of duty will be held on Sunday at the Union Buildings, after the most recent quarterly crime statistics revealed that 31 police officers were murdered between April and June.

The City of Cape Town plans to sue the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) for damages during the eight-day stayaway earlier this month.

The mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, told News24 all departments had been requested to provide an estimate of the damage.

"The City is busy assessing and quantifying the full cost of damages to its vehicles and infrastructure, and the cost of additional policing over those days of unacceptable violence.

"We have every intention of pursuing civil action to recover these costs and to make sure those responsible for the violence and damage are held both criminally and financially liable," he said.

Hill-Lewis said the City, the province and the taxi industry had reached an agreement to end the strike, but it did not absolve the taxi industry of responsibility for the damages caused.

Santaco staged an eight-day strike earlier this month after the City impounded dozens of vehicles for a range of infractions.

Santaco's Western Cape general secretary, Ryno Saaiers, said they were aware of the City's intentions.

"We dispute the City's allegations that our members caused disruptive behaviour during the stayaway. We instructed our members from the beginning of the stayaway to not engage in violent activities. Our members were told to park their vehicles, and we do not take responsibility for the damages caused," he said.

Saaiers said they had not received a legal letter from the City - but, should they receive any form of letter of demand, Santaco would seek legal advice.

On Monday, the taxi task team met for the start of a three-day imbizo to thrash out issues affecting the taxi industry in the Western Cape.

Santaco said they hoped it would yield positive results.

"We remain hopeful that all parties will reach a common ground after the three-day talks as we are committed to constructive negotiations," said Saaiers.

The police, in a written reply to a question posed by the African National Congress's Ayanda Bans in the legislature, said approximately 466 vehicles were damaged during the taxi-related unrest.

Bans had asked the MEC for police oversight and community safety, Reagen Allen, what the extent of the damage was, the number of vehicles attacked or torched, and how many people were injured or killed.

The question was referred to the police for a response.

In its response, the police said six people were killed and the extent of the damage could not be approximated.

ActionSA has temporarily withdrawn its motion of no confidence against City of Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda.

The party said it was dismayed by the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) latest decision to amend the motion as it believes that this perpetuates the continuation of an African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rule.

On Monday, DA said it would move for an amendment to ActionSA's motion of no confidence calling for the motion to be withheld until November 2, when two years since the last election will have elapsed, legally permitting the Johannesburg city council to dissolve itself.

Following the Multi-Party Charter negotiations in Johannesburg last week, ActionSA has reflected on the unanimous agreement that membership required expansion so as to give the Charter the opportunity of winning a majority in next year's elections.

The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has expressed interest in joining the grouping, however, the DA has been vocal about its distrust of the PA, which is currently in coalition with the ANC and EFF in some districts.

ActionSA said the DA's distrust of the PA is an impediment to the Multi-Party Pact and added that the DA's decision to amend the motion places its own political interests above those of the Charter and Johannesburg residents.

"The withdrawal of the ActionSA sponsored motion of no confidence is a difficult decision but necessitated after the DA confirmed categorically that they would not support the motion to remove Gwamanda. Without the DA support, the motion cannot succeed and continuing with it would only serve to damage the image of the Multi-Party Charter for South Africa. ActionSA and our partners in the IFP, FF Plus, ACDP, and UIM will use the time afforded by the temporary withdrawal to engage the DA to assist them to look beyond their narrow interests in the Western Cape," said ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont.

ActionSA added it would seek clarity on the DA's latest decision, especially in the context of removing the ANC in the 2024 elections.

The DA, however, has reiterated its call for the dissolution of the Johannesburg city council to hold fresh elections. The party is of the opinion that no confidence votes does more to perpetuate instability in the city.

The party has noted that this marks the seventh motion of no confidence in Johannesburg since the 2021 municipal elections.

"The root cause of Joburg's instability is the excessive political fragmentation that followed the November 2021 local government elections. This fragmentation led to no fewer than 18 parties gaining representation in council - with eight of those parties holding the balance of power despite only gaining a single seat each," said DA Joburg Caucus Leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku.

The DA has launched a petition for backing for fresh elections and is urging other parties and residents to support its motion.

"If we want to rescue Johannesburg from its downward spiral, voters need to fix this fragmentation through fresh elections where voters unite behind the DA. This will enable us to form a stable and ethical majority government that can begin to restore our country's biggest city," she said.

The process for Judge Nkola Motata to become the first judge to be removed in South Africa has reached the next step, as Parliament on Friday confirmed that it had received correspondence from Chief Justice Raymond Zondo pertaining to a finding of gross misconduct against Motata.

"In the letter, Chief Justice Zondo apprises the Speaker, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, of the Judicial Conduct Tribunal's determination that Judge Motata has been found guilty of gross misconduct in line with section 177(1)(a) of the Constitution. The Tribunal further recommended the invocation of section 177(1)(a) of the Constitution for potential removal," reads a statement from Parliament.

The letter will now be referred to the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services.

"The committee will assess the contents of the correspondence, including relevant supporting material, in order to formulate recommendations for the consideration of the National Assembly."

Motata was found guilty of drunk driving in 2009.

Longstanding Congress of the People (Cope) spokesperson Dennis Bloem has resigned.

In a short text message to Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota on Wednesday, Bloem said he resigned with immediate effect.

"I wish the party well with its future endeavours," he said.

He declined to comment but told News24 he would host a press conference on Saturday to detail his plans.

Cope has been beset with leadership challenges.

With the expulsion of Cope deputy president Willie Madisha and elections secretary Mzwandile Hleko finalised last month, Bloem was certain to be next in line to exit the party.

Madisha, Hleko and Bloem were members of the faction that was pushing Lekota to vacate his position.

Madisha and Hleko's memberships were terminated on 25 June, and it is understood that Bloem was also informed of the party's intention to fire him.

However, Madisha disputed that he had been fired from the party.

In March, Cope Gauteng chairperson Tom Mofokeng and Gauteng deputy secretary Johnny Mokome accused Madisha and Bloem of protecting embattled former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela after his submission of an allegedly fake insolvency clearance certificate.

Also, in July, the SABC reported that Cope had been deregistered as a political party.

It was later revealed that the party was registered as a company and had been deregistered as a company.

At the time, Bloem said they were shocked to hear that Cope was a company all the time.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen noted on Friday that the Patriotic Alliance's (PA's) actions in Nelson Mandela Bay this week have showed why the party does not belong in the Multi-Party Charter.

Steenhuisen said in a statement the DA had come under pressure to accept the PA into the Charter, a pre-election agreement sealed last week between seven opposition parties - the DA, Inkatha Freedom Party, ActionSA, the United Independent Movement, Freedom Front Plus, Spectrum National Party and the Independent South African National Civic Organisation - to get the African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) out of power come the elections in 2024.

Last week, the PA was reported to be considering leaving its coalitions with the ANC to try to score an invite to join the Charter.

On Tuesday, the PA voted against the motion of no confidence in Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Gary van Niekerk, a National Alliance (NA) member; following a vote by the 119 councillors present, 57 voted for the removal of the mayor and 62 against.

The DA said the PA had had a chance to vote to remove the ANC and its proxy, the NA, from power in Nelson Mandela Bay, but instead voted with the ANC/EFF/NA coalition.

"Actions speak louder than words. This week, the PA's actions yet again told us exactly what kind of party they are: a party that puts their own interests first, a party for sale to the highest bidder, and a party that does not subscribe to the shared governing principles that the signatories to the Multi-Party Charter have pledged fealty to," Steenhuisen said.

He explained that the principles of the Charter bound the signatories to a new political axis.

He added that it would also be the ideological foundation for achieving the Charter's vision of a new government for a just, inclusive and prosperous South Africa based on opportunity, freedom and security for all of its citizens.

"By aligning itself with the ANC and EFF, and through their corruption and cadre deployment in Beaufort West and Knysna, the PA has made crystal clear its disregard for every one of these principles. By their own actions, they have told South Africa they do not belong in the Charter," said Steenhuisen.

South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Solly Mapaila said on Thursday that South Africa is in the throes of a "reorganisation" of politics, which poses a danger in terms of the sustainability of the status quo.

Mapaila was addressing delegates at a three-day Indaba of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), in Johannesburg.

Among the dignitaries in attendance were Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and former statistician general Dr Pali Lehohla.

Mapaila warned that there was a rupture taking place in South African politics.

He averred that there were forces, "similar to a reincarnation of the apartheid and Bantustan forces", coming together to remove the liberation movement.

"The liberation movement may be represented by the African National Congress (ANC) but it is bigger than the ANC. It has become the very system of our society that is contested," he said.

He said the neoliberal policies upheld by the ANC had reached a point of crisis.

"The ANC, therefore, cannot be useful to sustain the implementation of the neoliberal project in South Africa without tempering the neoliberal economic policies. The neoliberal forces understand that because of the social pressure of our society, there is no way in which the ANC can continue to betray the masses and remain in power," Mapaila added.

He told the gathering that as Indaba delegates work on solving the country's crime challenges they must think about the fact that the liberation movement is being removed from political power.

He also shared the sentiments of Popcru president Zizamele Cebekhulu that the crime statistics that were shared were not real and not reflective of what people were feeling on the ground.

Mapaila suggested that there needed to be more coherence within the country's Justice Cluster, including creating synergy with the police and the courts.

He said South Africa was an emerging Stateless capitalist society where criminals and corporates "do as they please" because they know that the State system is dysfunctional.

"We have a State system that is very good in hosting parties and ceremonies." Mapaila said, clarifying that he was not referring to the Brics conference.

"Those are the things that we are able to do better but yet we can't plan properly on how to solve crime, unemployment in our society," he added.

The five Brics developing nations will admit Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates, they said on Thursday, a move aimed at growing the clout of the bloc as it pushes to rebalance the prevailing world order.

The expansion could also pave the way for dozens more countries to seek admission to the grouping, which has pledged to address their grievances over a world order many feel is rigged against them.

Brics - whose acronym was originally coined by an economist at Goldman Sachs, currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Deepening geopolitical polarisation in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's declining relations with the United States are spurring efforts by Beijing and Moscow to forge Brics into a viable counterweight to the West.

"Brics has embarked on a new chapter in its effort to build a world that is fair, a world that is just, a world that is also inclusive and prosperous," said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is hosting a summit of Brics leaders.

The six candidate countries will formally become members on January 1, 2024. Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva left the door open to the possibility of admitting other countries in future.

"We have consensus on the first phase of this expansion process and other phases will follow," Ramaphosa said at a media briefing.

Lula said globalisation's promises had failed, adding that it was time to revitalise cooperation with developing countries as "there is a risk of nuclear war", an apparent allusion to growing tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine conflict.

United Arab Emirates' President Mohammed bin Zayed, whose country is already a shareholder of the bloc's New Development Bank, said he appreciated the inclusion of his country in the expansion.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called the Brics leaders' decision to invite Ethiopia to join "a great moment".

PLEDGE TO REBALANCE WORLD ORDER

In a reflection of the bloc's growing influence, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended Thursday's expansion announcement.

He echoed a recurring plea by Brics for reforms of institutions like the United Nations Security Council, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, stating that global governance structures "reflect yesterday's world".

"For multilateral institutions to remain truly universal, they must reform to reflect today's power and economic realities. In the absence of such reform, fragmentation is inevitable," he said.

The debate over enlargement has topped the agenda at the three-day summit taking place in Johannesburg. And while all Brics members publicly expressed support for growing the bloc, there were divisions among the leaders over how much and how quickly.

Though home to about 40% of the world's population and a quarter of global gross domestic product, Brics members' failure to settle on a coherent vision for the bloc has long left it punching below its weight as a global political and economic player.

"This membership expansion is historic," China's President Xi Jinping said in remarks following the announcement on enlargement. "It shows the determination of Brics countries for unity and cooperation with the broader developing countries."

More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining Brics, say South African officials, and 22 have formally asked to be admitted.

They represent a disparate pool of potential candidates motivated largely by a desire to level a global playing field and attracted by Brics' promise to rebalance world bodies dominated by the United States and other wealthy Western states.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the bloc's expansion should be an example to other global institutions.

"The expansion and modernization of Brics is a message that all institutions in the world need to mould themselves according to changing times," he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Thursday that Brics countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - have agreed to task Brics Finance Ministers, and possibly Central Bank Governors, to consider the use of local currencies, payment instruments and platforms and to report back to the Brics leaders by the next Summit.

Ramaphosa closed the three-day fifteenth yearly Brics Summit, in Johannesburg, where he said Brics members noted an unbalanced recovery from the hardship of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still exacerbating inequality across the world.

He said members noted a global momentum shift in calls for the use of local currencies, alternative financial arrangements and alternative payment systems.

Ramaphosa announced that Brics members were ready to explore opportunities for improving the stability, reliability and fairness of the global financial architecture.

Brics leaders encouraged multilateral financial institutions and international organisations to play a constructive role in building a global consensus on economic policies.

Joining virtually, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised the issues of mutual currencies settlement and united currencies. He said while it was a challenging task, Brics members would move towards resolutions.

Putin also spoke about ensuring settlements between Brics member States in economic terms.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the gross domestic product (GDP) of Brics will make up 37% of global GDP in terms of purchasing power and 46% in terms of the world population.

"Brics will continue to open to other members and for that we also approved the criteria for future members, also approving the creation of a working group so that we can study the adoption unit, currency as reference for the Brics," added Lula.

He said this measure could increase options for means of payment and reduce vulnerabilities.

Brics members have reached consensus on the first phase of the bloc's expansion.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates have been invited to become full members of Brics, from January 2024.

Ramaphosa highlighted that through this summit, Brics had embarked on a new chapter in its effort to build a world that is fair, just, inclusive and prosperous.

Ramaphosa noted that Brics members had addressed their expectations for the Brics economic partnership to generate tangible benefits for communities and deliver viable solutions for common challenges faced by the Global South.

"We shared our vision of Brics as a champion of the needs and concerns of the people of the Global South. These include the need for beneficial economic growth, sustainable development and reform of multilateral systems," he explained.

Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Zingiswa Losi said on Wednesday that as the recent crime statistics painted a bleak picture, there is no exaggeration that the country is under siege by the rampant levels of crime.

She was addressing delegates at the Policing Indaba, held by the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), in Johannesburg.

Losi referenced the quarterly crime statistics, which showed that 31 police officers were killed in the line of duty between April and June.

She stated that Cosatu understood the damage done to the moral fabric of society by the violence that had wreaked havoc owing to the decades of apartheid legacy, adding to the ills in South Africa.

"South Africa has never healed from the past," she said.

Losi warned that society had normalised violence so much that she claimed that half of South African women and girls would be raped or assaulted in their lifetimes, while only a few of their perpetrators would ever see the inside of a prison.

She said the country must resolve its fundamental socioeconomic ills, such as youth unemployment and the rising levels of poverty.

"Government and the private sector must resolve these fundamentals. No matter how powerful the police is, they cannot resolve the 42% levels of unemployment," she stated.

She said Cosatu had also been raising concerns about the declining numbers of police officers, as alluded to by Popcru president Zizamele Cebekhulu.

"Whist we welcome the recruitment of the 10 000 police officers this year and 5 000 next year, this is too little to keep the pace with annual attrition rate," she said.

She said Popcru was showing leadership by convening the Indaba which was seeking solutions to advance the interests of the working class.