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President Cyril Ramaphosa has left the door open for Deputy President Paul Mashatile to make suggestions about his responsibilities while occupying the second-highest office in the land.

Last Wednesday, Ramaphosa wrote to Mashatile, assigning powers and functions. This came after Mashatile, also the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC), was sworn in as the country's deputy president.

Besides the responsibilities Ramaphosa assigned to Mashatile, he also appointed him as the leader of government business in Parliament.

Mashatile's predecessor, David Mabuza, also had this role.

Mashatile will also chair the Cabinet committees on governance, State capacity, institutional development, and justice, crime prevention and security.

"I would be happy to receive further suggestions for any responsibilities where you believe attention should be focused. I am certain that with the execution of these functions, you and I will be able to serve our government and our people with distinction. I wish you all the best in these responsibilities," wrote Ramaphosa.

The powers and functions assigned to Mashatile were no different to those of Mabuza.

These include leading the South African National Aids Council and the country's response to HIV and AIDS issues, as well as the Human Resource Development Council of South Africa. He will also be special envoy on South Sudan and lead peace missions on the continent, promote social cohesion initiatives with a particular focus on traditional and Khoi-San leaders, as well as military veterans.

Ramaphosa has also asked his deputy to assist him in rolling out the district development model "through effective coordination of the different spheres of government, which improve the functioning of municipalities and address community concerns".

Mashatile will also be expected to "fast-track" and accelerate land reform and agricultural support.

Ahead of the ANC national elective conference in December, Mashatile told Sunday World those who nominated him for the position of party deputy president did so because they wanted him to get into government for "timeous" implementation of programmes and to "get things fixed timeously".

"I would say maybe the comrades who started nominating me appreciate that style of leadership of pulling people together. But more importantly, when I was in Gauteng, we were known for decisive and timeous implementation. We don't dilly-dally when it comes to implementation.

"So, perhaps they believe I may be able to contribute at that level with that of approach, where we get things done," said Mashatile.

The Multi Party Coalition in Tshwane says it will consult attorneys on Tuesday to determine its options in ensuring that the 69 ballots cast for its Tshwane municipal council speaker candidate, Kholofelo Morodi, are counted.

The position became vacant earlier this month when former Congress of the People member Dr Murunwa Makwarela was elected executive mayor.

Makwarela has since resigned both as mayor and PR councillor, after submitting what has since been declared a fraudulent rehabilitated certificate for his insolvency.

The 69 ballots were declared “spoilt” by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) after councillors voted using numbers to discern who they had voted for.

As a consequence, the African Transformation Movement’s Mncedi Ndzwanana beat Morodi in the votes.

During counting, the Democratic Alliance (DA), ActionSA and Freedom Front Plus party agents pointed to the fact that the 69 ballots clearly indicated the intention of voters.

“There was no confusion or ambiguity in the markings. Neither were any ballots defaced. The IEC classified the 69 votes as 'spoilt' based on the fact that they were marked not with a crosses but with numbers,” said the Multi Party Coalition.

The Coalition explained that had the 69 so-called 'spoilt' ballots not been discarded, the total result for Morodi would have been 106 of the 211 ballots cast.

The Multi Party Coalition is of the view that the IEC officials were under pressure by the African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to discard the ballots to ensure the election of their preferred speaker candidate.

“Telling about the decision of the IEC to exclude these ballots is the fact that every one of these 69 ballots were cast for Councillor Morodi whom the Multi-Party Coalition majority endorsed as candidate for Speaker,” the Coalition stated.

A previous round for voting had to be abandoned after ANC and EFF councillors stormed the voting area, grabbed a ballot box and even took a ballot from a DA councillor.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has condemned the Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF’s) call for a national shutdown, planned for March 20, announcing that it is heading to court for an urgent interdict against the red berets, so that “looters and anarchists” can be stopped.

The EFF announced that it would hold a national shutdown to protest continuing loadshedding and that it would call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.

The party also urged businesses to shut down on the day of the protest to avoid being looted.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said on Tuesday that this was not only illegal, but also a nonsensical demand. He said it made no sense at all to instigate a nationwide shutdown to protest loadshedding.

The DA will head to court to ensure that the EFF complies with the conditions of permits issued by relevant municipalities giving permission for peaceful protests.

“Shutting the economy down for a day will do nothing at all to solve this problem that has been decades in the making. On the contrary, it will only push South Africa deeper into chaos and poverty,” Steenhuisen stressed.

He said his party was deeply concerned by the intimidatory tactics being employed by EFF members, who were threatening “consequences” for any business that stayed open to trade on the day of the protest, and for any adult or child who went to work or school on that day.

The DA intends to press charges against the EFF and hold them personally liable for any damage done to person, property, lives and livelihoods perpetrated during the “so-called shutdown”.

The DA leader said it would be a mistake to underestimate the damage that the EFF’s looming national shutdown could cause to businesses and workers.

Steenhuisen explained that the party’s lawyers had drafted a template affidavit, which could be used by any business owner who was intimidated by any EFF representatives, to report such behaviour and press formal charges of intimidation against the leadership of the EFF and its local representatives who acted on behalf of the party’s national leadership.

The DA has written to Police Minister Bheki Cele highlighting the imminent threat the EFF’s planned nationwide shutdown poses to the economy, public and private infrastructure, as well as to the safety of citizens.

“We have called on Minister Cele to issue a strong statement against the national shutdown and assure South Africans that the South African Police Service (Saps) and the entire security cluster is on standby to respond to violence,” said the party.

The DA has also written to Ramaphosa asking him to issue a stern pre-emptive warning that no violence, vandalism or intimidation would be tolerated, and that any such behaviour would meet with the full force of the law.

CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT

Steenhuisen explained that although the right to undertake peaceful protest action is a legitimate constitutional right, it is not unlimited and can never constitute justification for criminal behaviour, or behaviour that violates or threatens the rights of others.

“Just as people have the right to protest, they also have the right to not protest, the right to not associate with the protesting organisation, and the right to go to school or to work or to operate a business, and also to go about their daily lives unhindered and unobstructed. The DA will, therefore, do whatever we can to protect others within the confines of the law in order to disassociate from the EFF and their cause, and their rights to go to work and operate businesses,” he said.

The DA announced that it has written to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise to ensure that adequate soldiers are placed on standby, for deployment and that the necessary resources are available to ensure that there is no outbreak of violence and looting.

Steenhuisen said if people want change, the most powerful protest mechanism available to them is their vote, adding that here is no better place to bring about social change than at the b...

Congress of the People (Cope) Gauteng chairperson Tom Mofokeng and deputy secretary Johnny Mokome have accused the party's deputy president Willie Madisha and national spokesperson Dennis Bloem of protecting embattled former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela.

Mofokeng, who called a media briefing on Monday morning at Cope's Gauteng offices in Johannesburg, said the party in the province alerted national party leaders of Makwarela's insolvency, but no action was ever taken.

He added that instead, Bloem and Madisha protected Makwarela.

Mofokeng claimed that Cope members were not properly vetted, given the short time the party had to conduct this process leading up to the 2021 municipal elections.

"People such as Dennis Bloem and the deputy president William Madisha have made it a habit to meddle in the province's affairs. They are the ones who have been protecting Makwarela.

"We alerted the national leadership to the fact that because of time [constraints]... some could have fallen through the cracks in terms of vetting, given the short time we had leading up to the local government elections," added Mofokeng.

He said Makwarela had given a false declaration to Cope, stating that he was not insolvent.

"This was not the only false declaration that Dr Makwarela made. We have noted that Makwarela was accused of sexual harassment in the City of Johannesburg's fresh produce market. We were still waiting for a final report from the Tshwane Municipal Council when the allegations of insolvency surfaced," Mofokeng.

Following a meeting on Saturday, Cope's Gauteng leaders resolved to ask its national leaders to "finalise the suspension of Bloem and Madisha and allow the province to lay criminal charges against Makwarela".

Mofokeng said because he had not sent a resignation letter to Cope in Gauteng, disciplinary steps would be taken against Makwarela.

Makwarela was elected Tshwane mayor two weeks ago after the resignation of Randall Williams last month. He defeated the DA's mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink by 11 votes after receiving 112 votes compared to Brink's 101. This came after he joined forces with an ANC-EFF-led coalition.

Mofokeng said Makwarela negotiated with the coalition without the approval of Cope in Gauteng.

Just a week later, Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler declared that there was a vacancy for the Tshwane mayoral position after the Electoral Commission of SA stated that Makwarela was an unrehabilitated insolvent and should not have been elected.

Makwarela was accused of being dishonest about his financial status. He later submitted an insolvency rehabilitation certificate, only to later resign after the letter was declared as being fake.

Cope's Gauteng leaders said they would not be announcing Makwarela's replacement until they had identified a suitable candidate and vetted them properly.

News24 was unable to get comment from Makwarela.

Bloem denied allegations that he had protected the embattled former mayor, saying that Mofokeng recruited the former ANC member into Cope's ranks.

Mofokeng said Makwarela joined Cope from the ANC in 2021 but that he did so of his own accord.

Despite numerous attempts, News24 was unable to get comment from Madisha.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that the size of his cabinet should be guided by the needs of the country, as he defended adding an Electricity Ministry to what most politicians see as a bloated Cabinet.

Last week he appointed Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa who is expected to deal with the energy crisis.

In his weekly newsletter to the nation, Ramaphosa explained that the discussion regarding the size of the Cabinet was important but he believed that commentary missed the point.

“At the start of this administration in 2019, we reduced the number of ministries from 34 to 28. There was, therefore, much criticism when, last week, we increased the number of ministries for the remainder of this administration to 30. Yet, there has been little analysis of why we made these changes and whether they were necessary,” said Ramaphosa.

He added that increasing the number of ministries had been beneficial and he referenced improved policy alignment and focused implementation.

He explained that the new ministries he announced last week responded to the country’s current specific need and added that the Electricity Ministry was a temporary position and that Ramokgopa would remain in office only for as long as it was necessary to resolve the energy crisis.

In addition, he explained that the new Ministry for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation arose from an appreciation that “we need a dedicated focus on ensuring that government effectively implements the programmes that underpin our priorities and is able to fix problems as they arise”.

Ramaphosa suggested that the question that should be asked is "how best should government be organised to meet the country’s needs?"

Looking into South Africa’s history, he said the country had vast, urgent and pressing developmental needs that needed attention and which were evidence of the enduring legacy of apartheid.

He assured South Africans that the country’s needs would change over time and “we will learn from our lived experience”.

Ramaphosa also shared that the Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council was conducting an in-depth review of all key State-owned entities guided by the needs of the country and the efficient use of available resources.

The Labour Appeal Court has interdicted any industrial action by trade union National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), its members, or any essential service employees.

The order is applicable with immediate effect.

The court further ruled that Nehawu's members and all essential service employees are prevented from continuing with or participating in any such strike, picket, or any other form of industrial action.

The union was ordered to inform its members and officials across the country about the ruling by no later than 13:00 on Monday.

The court ruled the order remained in place until the final determination of the appeal against an initial order made by the Labour Court on 4 March, which interdicted the strike by Nehawu.

Nehawu sought leave to appeal against an order of Judge Edwin Tlhothlalemaje on 4 March.

The Ministry of Public Service and Administration applied for an urgent order to execute the ruling of Tlhothlalemaje on the first day of the strike on 6 March, pending the determination of Nehawu’s appeal.

On the same day, the Labour Court granted the execution order sought by the minister.

Nehawu's appeal against the 6 March execution order was heard on Friday on an urgent basis. The court reserved judgment.

In its judgment on Monday, the Labour Appeal Court said there could be no doubt that the strike notice given by Nehawu was intentionally broad and reckless.

"It gave notice of the strike 'across all departments and provinces (including Sassa, SIU and SANBI)' and in 'all workplaces in the public service, including those of South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)'," read the appeal court ruling.

"Nehawu issued this notice with the knowledge that hundreds of thousands of its members were employed in essential services and that it was impermissible in terms of Section 65(1(d)(i) for them to strike, as it was for the union’s members at Sassa, SIU and SANBI since these entities did not fall within the public service as defined."

When called upon in February to confirm that it "will actively ensure that members rendering essential services will not participate in the strike", no response was received from Nehawu, the court said.

'Patently deficient'

"A more deplorable approach, with the gravest and, in some instances it appears, deadly consequences, was the approach of Nehawu to the strike by its members employed in essential services.

"In this regard, the union and its members illustrated a flagrant disregard for the law, the employer, and the people of this country entitled to access essential public services."

The court said the trade union had failed expressly when called upon to confirm that it would actively ensure that members rendering essential services would not participate in the strike.

The court said the union only stated that it was "alive to the limitations of the right to strike" and that its "officials have and will. be instructed. to implement all possible measures to ensure that [the union’s] members comply with the law and picketing rules".

"Having been aware that it had issued a strike notice which, in breach of the law, did not exclude essential service workers, Nehawu’s response was patently deficient given the seriousness of the risk that its members employed in essential services would strike on the basis of the wide scope of the notice given by Nehawu.

"The only conclusion which can be drawn from Nehawu's conduct in this regard is that, well aware that the strike notice did not expressly exclude essential services and that a strike by such employees was in breach of the law, the union nevertheless was content simply to let the situation unfold and make limited efforts, if at all, to prevent this."

The national Department of Health welcomed the judgment.

“We believe this judgment will bring some form of stability in health facilities across the country," said spokesperson ...

Four people have died amid ongoing protests by members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), Health Minister Joe Phaahla has said.

Phaahla and Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko conducted a site visit to Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg on Thursday morning.

He said a government legal team was considering what action to take regarding the deaths, which could be "attributed directly to the strike".

A small group of Nehawu members were seen protesting outside the hospital on Thursday.

Nehawu and several other public servant unions have been locked in a wage dispute with the government.

"We remain concerned about the strike, especially in terms where there are still reports of acts of intimidation," Phaahla said.

On Wednesday night, the Gauteng Department of Health obtained a court interdict preventing Nehawu members from obstructing health services in the province during the strike.

The public sector strike entered its fourth day on Thursday. Some Gauteng hospitals experienced a "total shutdown", and some striking workers ordered staff to leave their posts.

Several patients were discharged without notice at Charlotte Maxeke on Wednesday.

"We can report that all wards and clinics at this facility (Charlotte Maxeke) are operational today (Thursday) at above 90 percent functionality," Phaahla said.

Other Gauteng hospitals that were affected included Kopanong and Sebokeng hospitals in Vereeniging, Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Vosloorus, and Bheki Mlangeni District Hospital in Johannesburg, where patients were left unattended as striking workers went into wards and ordered staff out of the facilities.

"The update we got this morning (Thursday) is that Bheki Mlangeni, Kopanong, Sebokeng, Thelle Mogoerane and Helen Joseph hospitals were still experiencing challenges," Phaahla said.

In KwaDukuza (formerly Stanger), north of Durban, on Wednesday, protesters outside General Justice Gizenga Mpanza Regional Hospital attacked a private ambulance transporting a child who was in a critical condition.

News24 previously reported that IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick said protesters reportedly attempted to remove the injured child from the ambulance and assaulted one of the paramedics.

The ambulance was eventually able to enter the hospital premises, and the child was admitted and treated.

Gauteng health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the department was left "with no choice" but to seek relief from the courts given the dire impact of the strike at various facilities. He said the lives of patients and staff were under threat.

Phaahla said four other provinces – the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape – also obtained court orders.

"This is a major step forward in the sense that this court is effective. We have received really horrendous stories from staff on how they struggled to get in [to hospitals] to save lives.

"The situation today (Thursday) has improved in many of the facilities as the police have heeded the court order and have come to ensure the safety of everyone, especially the non-striking workers, to attend to their work responsibilities," he added.

He said the department assigned senior managers to all affected districts and health facilities to assess the situation and provide the necessary support.

"All appointments that would not be attended to will be rescheduled and a catch-up programme will have to be in place. Patients who were discharged need to be given enough medications so that we alleviate the pressure on the health system," Phaahla added.

S&P Global unexpectedly downgraded South Africa's credit rating outlook to stable from positive on Wednesday evening.

In an unscheduled announcement, the US credit rating agency cautioned that South Africa's economic growth is facing increasing pressure from severe electricity shortages.

"Reforms to address infrastructure shortfalls and to improve governance and performance at state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are slow, weighing on growth, while contingent liabilities from SOEs pose continued downside risks to South Africa's fiscal and debt position."

In reaction, Treasury said it is taking urgent measures to reduce loadshedding in the short term and transform the sector through market reforms to achieve long-term energy security. Other reforms are underway to improve performance in freight rail.

"In response to the challenges observed by S&P, government acknowledges that higher economic growth and a durable recovery in economic activity require a stable macroeconomic framework, complemented by rapid implementation of economic reforms and improved state capability."

In May last year, S&P upgraded South Africa's outlook to positive. This indicated that its next move may have been an upgrade of the country's credit rating itself. The downgrade to "stable" is a setback, and follows the news of a much larger-than-expected contraction in South Africa's economy in the fourth quarter of last year.

S&P's rating of South African government's long term foreign debt at "BB-", and local debt at "BB", remains "junk”. A "junk" rating means there's a bigger chance that the government won’t be able to pay back its debts.

In 2017, S&P cut South Africa’s rating from investment grade to junk, and in 2020 lowered its rating even further into junk territory, as it warned of a big fallout from Covid-19 on the economy and tax revenues.

Congress of the People (Cope) councillor Murunwa Makwarela is back in office as the mayor of Tshwane after proving that he is a rehabilitated insolvent.

Makwarela provided a clearance certificate, which Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) accepted.

On Tuesday, the mayor was disqualified as a councillor after being unable to prove to the council that he was rehabilitated following his sequestration. He was declared insolvent in August 2016.

The law prohibits people who are sequestrated from holding public office.

Makwarela was elected as a PR councillor for Cope despite his sequestration.

Later, he held the Tshwane speaker position, and on 28 February, he was elected mayor.

The Democratic Alliance reported his sequestration to the city manager, who asked Makwarela to produce proof that he had been rehabilitated. He was given until Tuesday at 10:00.

Makwarela could not immediately produce proof and asked for an extension, which the city manager could not immediately fulfil.

On Thursday, he submitted a solvency clearance certificate, which showed he was rehabilitated in 2018.

His full mayoral benefits have been instated.

Tshwane head of communication Selby Bokaba said in a statement on Thursday, "The city manager of Tshwane, Johann Mettler, has received a notice of solvency rehabilitation from councillor Murunwa Makwarela this morning (Thursday). He has subsequently informed the Gauteng Provincial Electoral Officer of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to immediately withdraw the declaration of a vacancy for the Congress of the People (Cope) proportional representative (PR) councillor."

"The IEC has confirmed receipt of a letter from the city manager for the withdrawal of the vacancy declaration and undertook to process it accordingly, as they are still within the 21-day time limit. Accordingly, all the benefits and perks accorded to Dr Makwarela as the executive mayor of the City of Tshwane have been reinstated," Bokaba added.

After Makwarela's reinstatement, the Tshwane metro still faces challenges, including passing an adjustment budget.

Earlier, the metro asked National Treasury for an extension until 31 March. But a speaker needs to be elected before the budget can be passed.

A political firestorm like the one preceding and following Makwarela's election is likely to play out with the speaker's election on Monday.

The African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape has recalled Buffalo City Mayor Xola Pakati for poor performance.

Pakathi, who has been mayor of the metro since 2016, has reportedly been absent during official visits from Ministers, Premiers and MECs and instead deployed junior politicians to take over his work.

On Wednesday, ANC Eastern Cape spokesperson Loyiso Magqashela said the municipality had been falling apart under Pakati’s watch.

“We have been monitoring the performance of municipalities and the Buffalo Metropolitan Municipality is no exception. It is disappointing that the mayor doesn’t seem to be enjoying his work; hence he delegates his responsibilities to MMC’s and junior politicians. The potholes in town require attention from leadership from this municipality to ensure that [it] is drivable,” said Magqashela.

Revenue collection had also reportedly been abandoned and there was also an issue relating to fixing the billing system. The metro also recently hired a new municipal manager, Mxoli Yawa, who Magqashela said would need monitoring.

Candidates for the mayoral position include Deputy Mayor Princess Faku, Human Settlements MMC Nozandile Mhlola and council speaker Humphrey Maxhegwana.

Magqashela said the party was hopeful that the elected incumbent would be able to start next week to deal with the collapsed state of the municipality.

“Our expectation from the elected candidate is [that they are] equal to the task to ensure the municipality’s turnaround in instances such as the challenges of water that people are crying about. The importance of service delivery is in the presence of leadership,” he said.

The ANC has, however, acknowledged Phakati’s contribution to the municipality but stated that the municipality deserved a new change with a new face.

“Pakati is a mature ANC revolutionary and we will always remember his leadership that ensured the birth of the Qumza Highway as well as the airport. This is a year of decisiveness and we prioritise leaders who are ready to advance thorough service delivery,” Magqashela said.