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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The powers of Johannesburg's Group Forensics and Investigation Services (GFIS) have been given to the City manager, Floyd Brink.

This came after a behind-closed-doors report at the 13th Ordinary Sitting of Council on Wednesday.

The report was item 17 of 19, which took council until 21:00 to get through.

It said the "investigations conducted by the GFIS were neither compliant with the local government disciplinary regulations for senior managers, nor compliant with the approved GFIS delegations of authority".

The report was adopted by the Government of Local Unity, the name given to the African National Congress (ANC), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Patriotic Alliance and minority party coalition. The GFIS was created by the Democratic Alliance (DA), when they took over in 2016, as Johannesburg's anti-fraud and corruption service.

It is also responsible for investigating the theft of assets, vandalism, maladministration, illegal connections, breach of security, and hijacked properties.

In 2022, the GFIS commissioned the law firm, ENSafrica, to investigate irregularities related to the approval of a R320-million public safety transaction.

The ENSafrica report found Brink did not act when he discovered the multimillion-rand transaction had been pushed through without following due process. Brink was voted in as the City manager in February.

On Tuesday, the DA approached the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg to reverse this decision.The DA's Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the conflict of interest in Wednesday's decision was "surreal in its irregularity".

"The highly irregular adoption of the report also creates the unacceptable and illegal situation where the current City manager... whom the DA is litigating to have declared unlawfully appointed, is responsible for making key decisions even where he himself is the subject of possible investigation," she said in a statement on Thursday.

She said the report on GFIS was "devoid of truth and riddled with error", adding, "This report... effectively reverses all the work done by the GFIS taskforce by giving the City manager the power of prosecutor, investigator, judge and jury over matters of corruption and criminality."

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the DA was seeking urgent legal advice on the matter.

Responding to queries by News24, the mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda, welcomed the resolutions and said it strengthened the GFIS by "regularising its operations and investigations".

Gwamanda said the report "laid bare serious irregularities in how GFIS conducted allegations and investigations against senior City officials and councillors".

He claimed the previous administration, led by the DA, had abused the department by using it to harass officials.

"Several investigations of allegations against councillors were undertaken without following the due and legal process requirements."

He said the allegations against the City manager and senior managers must be approved by council, which he said was following the requirements of the Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers, issued in terms of the Municipal Systems Act.

On Wednesday, Brink was mandated to handle any litigation which stemmed from investigations into these "rogue investigations".

Brink has also been mandated to appoint a senior counsel "in cases where there are cases of litigation against the City, and for senior counsel to advise on any other actions which must be taken to remedy the prejudice caused by the abuse of investigative powers and unlawful investigations".

Gwamanda said the City was committed to accountability and consequence management, but in a lawful manner.

Parliament has strongly objected to the public criticisms made by Chief Justice and former head of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture Raymond Zondo for suggesting that Parliament would be incapable of preventing another bid to capture the State.

Zondo has bemoaned Parliament’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the State capture commission report. Parliament also noted his criticism of the policy position regarding the existing electoral system.

Parliament said it would have been permissible for the Chief Justice to use appropriate channels to address his concerns over the implementation of the State capture report recommendations.

“It is not the place of a Chief Justice to make such public remarks unless and until he is required to adjudicate on a matter with impartiality,” said Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo.

“The principle of separation of powers is important to our democracy, and it requires each branch of government to respect the roles and responsibilities of the others. Chief Justice Zondo’s public attack on Parliament encroaches on this doctrine,” he argued.

Mothapo has highlighted the important steps Parliament is taking to improve accountability and strengthen oversight within its ranks.

Parliament says it is currently developing rules and guidelines that strengthen oversight and the cooperation between Parliament and the executive.

Further, it is conducting research on international best practices focused on the enhancement of oversight and accountability within the executive. Quarterly reports on the progress of these initiatives have been tabled.

Parliament has alluded to the importance of the Chief Justice fostering an environment of mutual respect and cooperation.

The national legislatures of South Africa and the United Arab Emirates are ready to host the parliaments of Ukraine and Russia to find possible avenues of convergence amid the conflict between the two nations.

This emerged in a parliamentary report detailing the work South African MPs had undertaken at the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in March.

A delegation from South Africa participated in the assembly under the theme of promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies and fighting intolerance.

The IPU Task Force for the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine met with high-level delegations of MPs from Russia and Ukraine separately to keep parliamentary diplomatic channels open for future peacebuilding.

During the meeting, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa announced their readiness to host the parliaments of each country for further discussion on the ongoing war.

National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula delivered the report and noted that the parliaments of Ukraine and Russia welcomed the work of the task force.

The next step involves engaging the two parliaments on the following:

sending a letter detailing avenues to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of the war in four areas: nuclear safety, food security, protection of environmentally vulnerable sites, and access to and exchange of prisoners of war;

engaging with other parties to help bring about positive change in the ongoing escalation of the conflict; and

endeavouring to find possible avenues of convergence and inviting both delegations to convene in a suitable venue for discussion.

News24 previously reported that, to spare itself from having to comply with the ICC warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ANC had instructed its ministers to consider moving the summit.

As per talks in the party, suggestions were that India, despite having hosted the summit in 2019, and China, despite having hosted it in 2011, 2017 and last year, could be the hosts this year, given that they are not member states of the ICC, and have never signed its core treaty, the Rome Statute.

News24 understands that what further exacerbated the situation was a legal opinion the BRICS-appointed technical team sought, which was presented to the inter-ministerial committee, headed by Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

The legal opinion was said to have discouraged the government from having Putin attend the summit.

Last month, a political firestorm erupted when US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety accused the country of supplying weapons to Russia.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed former Supreme Court Judge Phineas Mojapelo to chair a three-member independent panel to probe the veracity of allegations related to the docking of the Russian vessel, the Lady R, in Simon's Town in December last year.

Recently, Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, received a peace mission, led by six African heads of state, in their respective capitals. Ramaphosa pleaded with both heads of state to end the war.

Eskom has placed its acting head of security Karen Pillay on precautionary suspension.

This is related to a R500-million emergency security contract awarded to Fidelity Services to investigate coal theft last year, News24 understands.

According to senior Eskom sources, pressure came from the board to suspend her. She continues to co-operate with a probe into the contract, according to the sources.

The accusation is that Eskom did not follow proper procurement processes. But Eskom said the contract was awarded in line with its procurement procedure and National Treasury directives for emergency procurement of services.

Eskom said Fidelity was hired after its management received information about a potentially serious security risk to its operations and assets.

While the initial contract price was R500-million, in the end it paid only R250-million.

Pillay joined Eskom in 2004 from the Special Investigating Unit. She started her career in the police.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo argued on Thursday that changing rules and regulations is not an essential requirement for State capture to occur, admitting that the capturing of the State has placed South Africa’s democracy at risk.

June 22 marks a year since Zondo handed over the commission’s last Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Report to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zondo was speaking at the Human Sciences Research Council’s colloquium on the post-Zondo commission and the future of democracy on Thursday, where he said that State capture in South Africa, whether by the Guptas, Bosasa or Bain & company did not include that any rules or regulations be changed.

He explained that the country’s version of State capture entailed having great influence or control over government officials, which included the head of State.

“I do not think the changing of rules and regulations is an essential requirement of State capture. I cannot see why, if instead of asking that the rules be changed, one uses illicit payments with government officials in order to ensure that existing rules are bridged while they should not be State capture, seems to me that there are different forms of State capture but one must recognise the essential elements,” said Zondo.

He explained that the capturing of State does not require that all three arms of State be captured.

“If a group of individuals has a strong influence on a head of State, such as the Guptas [did], and that influence is used not for the head of State to make decisions that are lawful and serve the interests of the people but serve the interests of only some of the individuals or group, or entities that is still State capture, notwithstanding the fact that not all three arms of the State are involved,” he added.

Zondo believes that there is no doubt that when one goes through the commission’s evidence that the Guptas and their allies had planned the State capture project in good time and worked on it for quite some time.

“You will remember that in 2009 we had general elections and after the election President Jacob Zuma became the President of the country but the Guptas had been close to the [President] before for quite a few years, but where they started was with Transnet. Now that was 2009, so for about two years President Zuma did not want the position to be filled, that is the position of the CEO of Transnet because he wanted Siyabonga Gama and this was the time Gama had gone through a disciplinary process,” Zondo highlighted.

He explained that evidence from the commission might not be strong enough to determine why Zuma insisted on Gama being the CEO of Transnet and that it was at the behest of the Guptas. But, he believes what came after suggested very strongly that it was at the request of the Guptas.

Retired Judge Kathleen Satchwell found that the State freight rail entity initially tried to cut corners to get rid of Gama, but eventually found the legitimate contractual grounds to achieve the goal.

Zondo said nevertheless Zuma wanted Gama to be the CEO of Transnet. Over two years the vacancy was not filled.