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Former president Jacob Zuma summoned African National Congress (ANC) national executive committee (NEC) members supportive of him to his Nkandla homestead on Saturday, and instructed them to get behind a campaign to have Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma elected as the next ANC president.

News24 has been reliably informed that Zuma told the delegation led by suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule that Dlamini-Zuma was his preferred candidate and that he believed there was no need to be "defocused".

"He brought the proposal of those who are known to be supporting him to support NDZ, and he motivated that they needed to be consistent, and there was no need to change the candidate [contesting Ramaphosa]. He said they couldn't be defocused and consider other candidates to challenge Ramaphosa," a well-placed source told News24.

The meeting was said to have been attended by NEC members openly loyal to Zuma and included Dakota Legoete, Supra Mahumapelo and Tony Yengeni.

Dlamini-Zuma lost against Ramaphosa five years ago at the ANC's 2017 elective conference.

Two well-placed sources said Zuma had expressed that he believed there was a strong chance for Ramaphosa to be removed as ANC president given the allegations he faces around business dealings related to his Phala Phala farm. The meeting is said to have been a precursor to a bigger one in Nkandla planned for Thursday among Zuma’s allies in the ANC.

A final strategy to unseat Ramaphosa is expected to be finalised at this meeting.

The push by Zuma for his supporters to campaign for Dlamini-Zuma comes after she confirmed that she would accept nomination for the presidency of the ANC.

A source with intimate knowledge of the meeting said the NEC leaders at the meeting gave Zuma feedback about efforts to oppose Ramaphosa, and that party structures were considering three candidates to go up against him - Zweli Mkhize, Dlamini-Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu.

"He expressed his wish (that Dlamini-Zuma be supported) and gave guidance on how the campaign must go, but they said to him that they have to see what branches and regions are saying and report back to him," the source said.

News24 understands that Zuma was told that his wish would be communicated to party structures, but "on the assumption that ANC branches and regions will decide who should be the candidate".

Dlamini-Zuma's bid to contest Ramaphosa was seen as a blow to Mkhize, who had worked in earnest to secure the nomination from the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal for the position.

"By the end of the week, we have to decide on one name (to go up against Ramaphosa). We cannot have all three contesting and tearing the support base apart. None of them will stand a chance if that happens," the second high-level source said.

Ramaphosa's bid for a second term is being supported by the ANC in Limpopo, North West, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

ANC branches are expected to begin nominating leaders for the December conference this week.

Police Minister Bheki Cele says the fact that more than half a million South Africans were in the country's 243 prisons is a clear indication that immigrants are not worse than South Africans regarding crime.

He said figures indicated that only 18 000 of the 544 000 inmates in South African prisons were immigrants.

Cele spoke on Thursday at the Council of Mayors' conference being held at the East London International Convention Centre. The conference, which was organised by the South African Local Government Association (Salga), started on Thursday and will be wrapped up on Friday.

According to Cele, it is actually his countrymen and women who are involved in crime who give him sleepless nights.

Cele told the 200 conference delegates, "Foreign nationals are not a problem. It's South Africans. They are in prison in large numbers, which means they do things they are not supposed to do."

The minister, a former police commissioner, revealed that South African men raped 10 000 women over the three-month period between January and March this year.

He said 60% of the victims were raped in their own homes.

"They were raped where they are supposed to be safe by people who are supposed to keep them safe - their fathers, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, grandfathers, and their stepfathers," Cele told the horrified audience.

He said this meant that some sexual crimes were a family and societal matter, not a police matter.

"Yes, we come and arrest the rapist after committing the offence, but we can't be expected to hide under the bed to ensure you don't rape your daughter. Families must play their roles," he said.

He concluded his speech by urging all mayors to form good relationships with the station commanders of police stations in their areas and work together to keep South Africa safe.

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the keynote address at the opening session of the conference. The theme of the conference is "The role of mayors to enhance good governance and sustainability".

More than 100 of the 168 mayors in South African towns and cities are meeting in East London to deliberate and collaborate on matters concerning service delivery, local governance, and strengthening municipalities to carry out their constitutional mandate.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday expressed his “profound and sincere condolences” to King Charles III on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on Thursday, at the age of 96, and was the longest-reigning monarch in the United Kingdom.

Ramaphosa said South Africa’s thoughts and prayers were with The Royal Family, the government and people of the United Kingdom as they mourned.

"Her Majesty was an extraordinary and world-renowned public figure who lived a remarkable life. Her life and legacy will be fondly remembered by many around the world. The Queen’s commitment and dedication during her 70 years on the throne remains a noble and virtuous example to the entire world,” said Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa last met the Queen at the 2018 Commonwealth meeting, in London, where they spent some time looking at letters that former President Nelson Mandela had sent her. Magwenya said the President and the Queen reminisced about Mandela, who she respected enormously.

Democratic Alliance federal chairperson Dr Ivan Meyer said during Queen Elizabeth’s “extraordinary reign” over 70 years, she was known for her sense of duty and her devotion to a life of service.

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said the party did not mourn her death because it is a reminder of a “tragic period” in the country and Africa’s history.

“Britain, under the leadership of the royal family, took over control of this territory that would become South Africa in 1795 from Batavian control and took permanent control of the territory in 1806. From that moment onwards, native people of this land have never known peace nor have they ever enjoyed the fruits of the riches of this land, riches which were and still are utilised for the enrichment of the British royal family and those who look like them,” said the EFF.

The party went on to state that Queen Elizabeth’s family plundered India, using the East India Company, and took control and oppressed the people of the Caribbean Islands.

The EFF said Queen Elizabeth was a “proud flag bearer” of these atrocities during her reign.

“When the people of Yemen rose to protest against British colonialism in 1963 Elizabeth ordered a brutal suppression of that uprising,” the party said, adding that during her reign as Queen she did not acknowledged the “atrocities that her family inflicted on native people that Britain invaded across the world”.

The EFF said the Queen benefited from the wealth that was attained from the exploitation and murder of millions of slaves who were shipped away from the continent to “serve the interests of racist white capital accumulation, at the center of which lies the British royal family”.

“If there is really life and justice after death, may Elizabeth and her ancestors get what they deserve,” said the party.

The Western Cape High Court has ruled that President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to suspend Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was invalid - but this will not have any immediate effect on her suspension.

That is because section 172(2)(a) of the Constitution provides that while a High Court "may make an order concerning the constitutional validity of ... any conduct of the President", such "an order of constitutional invalidity has no force unless it is confirmed by the Constitutional Court."

The High Court order, therefore, has no effect unless and until confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

Lawmakers have refused President Cyril Ramaphosa's request to answer questions on the Phala Phala scandal.

On Thursday, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told the NA Programming Committee that Ramaphosa had written to her requesting that he answers on 29 September.

Ramaphosa was already scheduled to answer questions on the same date.

Opposition parties have, however, objected to the date, saying Ramaphosa should urgently return to the National Assembly to complete the remaining questions before then.

During a sitting earlier this month, chaos erupted after Ramaphosa did not answer questions on the Phala Phala matter.

Several African National Congress MPs came to the defence of Ramaphosa who virtually attended the hearing.

On Thursday, Economic Freedom Fighters MP Floyd Shivambu appeared highly irritated by the decision.

"Where is the autonomy of this Parliament, when a president can just do as he wishes," Shivambu asked.

Mapisa-Nqakula said a panel should be appointed next week and from which the process will start.

South African consumer confidence remained in the doldrums in the third quarter, weighed down by rising inflationary pressures and lending costs.

A quarterly index measuring sentiment rose to minus 20, from minus 25 in the previous three-months, with the removal of all remaining coronavirus restrictions contributing to the marginal improvement, FirstRand’s First National Bank said in an emailed statement on Thursday. The index has been negative for 13 straight quarters, the longest stretch since the series began in 1982.

“Consumer confidence in general remains very low and not conducive to healthy growth in real consumer spending,” FNB said. “Mounting inflationary and interest-rate pressures coupled with dismal consumer confidence point to a significant deterioration” in spending, especially on durable goods, it said.

Sentiment improved most among low-income earners, mainly due to the government extending the payment of welfare grants and increasing the number of those who are eligible.

While State capture is rated by many as the biggest scandal in post-apartheid South Africa, for President Cyril Ramaphosa the real capture is at local government level.

Ramaphosa said this on Thursday when he addressed the more than 100 mayors who converged at East London's International Convention Centre for a two-day Council of Mayors conference, which was organised by the SA Local Government Association (Salga).

During his keynote address, Ramaphosa brought corruption, maladministration and mismanagement of funds into sharp focus, urging mayors to stand up against criminals who are capturing municipalities.

He also urged mayors to learn from the findings of the Auditor-General.

"The Auditor-General is not writing novel fictions. They follow what really happens, therefore you should take them seriously," Ramaphosa said.

He said corruption undermined the work at local government level, which was the most important sphere of government.

"I have heard about this, where everything is outsourced to serve outside interests, resulting in the municipality being captured," said Ramaphosa.

"You have been talking about State capture and, in fact, we are finding that the real capture is happening at local government level, where certain interests just capture the entire municipality and they purportedly then provide every service."

Ramaphosa said that, due to this, it was often found that workers, who were originally employed to execute the functions offered by service providers, continued being paid every month for work being done by outsiders.

"I have heard stories of councils being captured by criminals - whereby, in the council chambers, you will find criminals sitting in the gallery among the audience watching closely over the council proceedings to hear how the councillors will vote on the distribution of equitable share. These criminals are waiting for their own share," Ramaphosa said.

The conference was attended by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Police Minister Bheki Cele.

The host, the mayor of Buffalo City, Xola Pakati, and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane were also in attendance.

During the speech, Ramaphosa urged mayors to develop their towns and cities by attracting investment from the private sector in order to create jobs.

He advised mayors to cut ties with unscrupulous service providers, whose intentions were just to make a quick buck by milking municipal coffers.

The Salga Council of Mayors has, since its formation in 2016, gathered mayors from across the country to deliberate and collaborate on matters concerning service provision, local governance and strengthening municipalities.

The event will also see mayors, who received mayoral chains for the first time after the 1 November local government elections, being inaugurated at the two-day event.

Ramaphosa's theme for the keynote address was "The role of mayors to enhance good governance and sustainability".

He said the capture of municipalities had to come to an end because it destroyed effective governance.

According to Salga, the Council of Mayors event acts as a consultative forum for the development of local government positions on policies and on legislation impacting local government.

It said the structure also identifies policy and legislative matters which Salga needs to include in its advocacy, lobbying and strategic engagements.

Salga said in a statement, "This collective of mayors identifies challenges faced by the executive in municipalities and proposes solutions and approaches to address prevailing challenges facing local government."

Over the two days, members of the national executive of Salga will be expected to join the conference for discussions on transitional progress following the 2021 elections.

The discussions will focus on:

Local government finances;

Financial management and municipal financial recovery;

Opportunities for developing human settlements;

Safe and secure communities;

The ru...

A wealth tax won't be able to raise enough revenue to potentially fund a basic income grant (BIG) in the same way an increase in VAT or personal income tax (PIT) could, says Treasury's acting director-general Ismail Momoniat.

Momoniat was speaking at the Tax Indaba hosted virtually by the South African Institute of Taxation on Wednesday.

He weighed in on various tax matters – whether it be raising revenue or dealing with issues like climate change and health.

Momoniat also noted that taxes would have to be adjusted to make way for the changing energy landscape, a challenge many countries face. He noted new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss's goals to cap energy bills (amid rising gas prices) while also lowering taxes.

"She sounds to me like a great magician if she achieves that. She will probably need a Nobel prize. But I have my doubts," he quipped.

Momoniat described the tax as a "blunt tool" which people do not want to see changing much every year. In the last budget, none of the taxes were raised, barring carbon and sin taxes. He added that such punitive taxes would likely keep going up.

As for taxing the wealthy, Momoniat noted that globally and domestically, there is a strong view that people should pay their "fair share" of taxes. However, the issue with a wealth tax is that it can't be imposed every year – as a person would have to realise a certain amount of value after a few years to be taxed.

Importantly, Momoniat said that a wealth tax wouldn't raise nearly enough as an increase in VAT or PIT.

For a major spending programme like a BIG – tax will have to be imposed to fund it. A grant of R90-billion could be funded by a 3% increase in VAT or PIT.

"The other taxes simply do not raise enough," he said.

A wealth tax imposed every 10 years, for example, wouldn't raise enough either.

"You have to go back to VAT and PIT," said Momoniat. Raising corporate income tax is not on the government's cards either – because it would go against the trend of what is happening globally and will negatively impact investment and jobs."

On the other hand, VAT increases will hit poor households, and an increase in PIT will also pressure households with low-paying jobs, he said.

Momoniat, however, emphasised that a big expenditure item like the BIG would definitely require a tax hike.

"Don't fool yourself by thinking you can have a step change in expenditure and not raise one of the two big taxes, and that does have an impact on growth. You need to understand the trade-offs."

The African National Congress (ANC) has delayed the start of its nomination processes for ANC leadership so that membership figures can be audited.

The party was due to begin branch meetings on Wednesday, where ANC branches could nominate their preferred candidates for the party's top leadership as well as the national executive committee at the December conference.

But the deadline for the renewal of ANC branch membership was extended, resulting in a delay.

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said on Wednesday: "We are expected to finalise the audit process this week. The treasurer general will receive the report by Friday. The report will then serve before the special NEC on Sunday. A special NEC must adopt the final audited membership. When this is done, it constitutes credentials of the national conference."

President Cyril Ramaphosa is not considering resigning from his job.

This is according to his political advisor, Bejani Chauke, who said claims that Ramaphosa wanted to relinquish his presidential duties were false.

"There is a video which reports that Cde CR is considering resigning from his duties. This is false," Chauke said on Wednesday.

"Cde CR is focused on his presidential duties and to lead the ANC [African National Congress] towards its national conference in December. No falsehoods will sway him away from these important responsibilities."

The video, the source of which News24 could not authenticate, cited reports that Ramaphosa's resignation was imminent.

Ramaphosa is facing multiple probes into alleged wrongdoing following the revelation of a burglary at his farm in February 2020, where at least R8-million in US dollars was stolen.

While Chauke insisted that Ramaphosa was not considering stepping down from his position, at least two ANC leaders close to Ramaphosa touted the possibility of him stepping down when the accusations first surfaced.

But, they said, he was not considering stepping down "at this point".

A criminal case was opened by the former director-general of the State Security Agency, Arthur Fraser, in which revelations about the burglary first surfaced.

The Public Protector is now probing ethical questions related to criminal activities at Ramaphosa's farm and whether he violated the executive code of ethics.

News24 reported this week that Ramaphosa told the Public Protector a Sudanese businessperson, Mustaf Mohamed Ibrahim Hazim, handed $580 000 (about R8-million) in cash to an employee at the farm on 25 December 2019.

Ramaphosa also confirmed the money was hidden under a "sofa cushion" and claimed he could provide a receipt for the cash transaction.

According to the president's responses to the Public Protector, Hazim handed a bag of cash to a Phala Phala staff member after it was agreed he would purchase a group of buffalo, which had traits that made them undesirable breeding stock for Phala Phala's operations.

But the buffalo were still at Phala Phala, Ramaphosa's responses revealed.

Amid the allegations, Ramaphosa refused to publicly provide details on the incident amid calls for accountability.

Last Tuesday, in a question session in the National Assembly, African Transformation Movement leader Vuyolwethu Zungula asked Ramaphosa to "take the nation in confidence" on Phala Phala.

Ramaphosa refused.

He said investigations were ongoing, he was cooperating with the "relevant authorities", and he had been advised "that it is best to address these matters when those processes have been done".

Opposition MPs were up in arms about Ramaphosa's refusal to answer the question, but the Presidency and ANC claimed that he did answer the question.

The Democratic Alliance asked National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for the establishment of an ad hoc committee into Phala Phala, but she refused the request, citing the ongoing investigations.

Other opposition parties also want a motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa is facing a Section 89 process, also called impeachment.

Mapisa-Nqakula will appoint an independent three-person panel to determine whether there is a prima facie case for his removal, given the allegations.

The panel's report will be taken to a vote in the National Assembly. A simple majority is needed to proceed with an inquiry.

If the majority is not obtained, it's the end of the matter.