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After months of bickering, the African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State reached consensus on tentative dates in September for the regional and the crucial provincial elective conferences.

In a video that News24 has seen, Free State ANC interim provincial committee (IPC) coordinator Paseka Nompondo said the IPC's mandate had been extended to 30 September and that 31 July had been set as the deadline for provincial ANC members to renew their membership.

Nompondo added that regional conferences would be held between 15 and 30 September and that the provincial conference would take place towards the end of September.

"The IPC is preparing a conference of the province and conferences of the regions. We have set up a cut-off date for membership renewal for the 31st of July to allow all ANC members to renew their membership.

"Once a member has renewed their membership of the ANC and becomes a member in good standing and becomes a paid-up member, they then have the right as a member of the ANC to participate in the ANC branch general meeting. They may also participate in the preparation of a branch to participate in the regional and provincial conferences," Nompondo could be heard saying.

She added that new branch executive committees would be elected in August and September.

In addition, branches will elect their delegates for regional conferences and the provincial conference.

Speaking to News24 on Wednesday, IPC spokesperson Oupa Khoabane said discussions on the exact dates for the regional and provincial conferences were ongoing.

Khoabane confirmed that the tentative agreement was that the membership renewal process would be wrapped up at the end of July and that the regional and provincial conferences would be concluded by the end of September.

"We want branches to reach the 70% threshold of having convened branch general meetings and selecting delegates to participate at the conferences. We have that roadmap as the IPC, that says as of the 30th September, we must go to the provincial conference.

"Even if all regional conferences have not convened, but branches have met the threshold to hold the provincial conference, we will then go ahead with the provincial elective conference. As you know, conferences are for branches, and 90% of the delegates in the provincial conference are branch delegates, and the rest are league structures and the IPC members," Khoabane said.

Furthermore, he said the delay in the convening of regions and provinces was to avoid "unnecessary litigation".

In 2012, the ANC's national executive committee (NEC), led by then secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, decided to bar the 20-member Free State provincial executive committee. The move came after the Constitutional Court found it to be invalid, following a legal challenge by some branches over the processes leading up to the conference.

This excluded the Free State PEC from voting at the 2012 ANC Mangaung conference, apart from members like then Free State chairperson Ace Magashule who voted in his capacity as an NEC member.

In 2017, a similar fate befell the province's PEC after the NEC decided that the PECs of KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State would not be allowed to vote on any matter at the party's hotly contested 54th elective conference in Nasrec.

Nompondo said: "In the past, we were not able to work together for a number of years, but now I do have a sense that all members in the IPC are working towards what we were brought together to achieve."

He reiterated that "by the time the national conference sits in December, we would have had a provincial conference of the ANC in the Free State".

Last month, disgruntled ANC members from the Mangaung region approached the Free State High Court over what it termed the "slow pace of conference preparations."

The group has also called on the disbandment of the ANC Free State IPC, led by former economic development MEC Mxolisi Dukwana and Nompondo.

The interim structure was formed after the governing par...

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has asked trade union Solidarity to provide a list of people with the necessary technical skills to help government address the skills crisis at Eskom.

On 14 July, Gordhan wrote to the managing director of Solidarity, Dirk Hermann, to thank the trade union for its offer in May this year to mobilise critical skills.

The minister informed Hermann that Eskom required power station engineers - including mechanical, nuclear, electrical, system and maintenance skills, as well as senior artisans and plant operators for coal and nuclear power stations.

"Due to the urgency of assistance required from Eskom, can you kindly provide the list of names of engineers and technical experts that can be deployed to Eskom to address the generation performance challenges facing the company," Gordhan wrote.

He was responding to a letter from Hermann, dated 25 May this year, sent to Gordhan shortly after his budget vote speech in Parliament. Gordhan had indicated that Eskom lacked engineering and technical skills.

"Since 2000, Eskom has implemented a radical transformation programme to accelerate the transformation process at the state-owned enterprise at a cost of approximately R1.8-billion, while this programme has in fact reduced Eskom’s engineering and technical skills base," Hermann wrote.

Solidarity had previously offered to assist government in redeploying skilled and experienced engineers, and in the past, set up a skills database for its members and others to register their experience and qualifications.

In 2019, the union provided Gordhan with a list of 705 names - consisting of individuals holding a cumulative 731 accredited qualifications, with a combined work experience of more than 500 years - but nothing happened. A total of 30% of the names were engineers, 50% were specialised and skilled artisans, and a further 20% had general skills.

"We cannot discuss the current Eskom skills crisis without looking at the historic context. Eskom was reckless in the implementation of a transformation programme and, since 2000, they offered packages to skilled Eskom workers to make space, in today’s money approximately R1.8-billion was paid out," Hermann told News24 on Wednesday.

"The loss of skills also led to a loss of institutional knowledge – and it was just too much, too fast. Even as recently as 2017, Eskom had made provision in its affirmative action plans to get rid of another 1 700 engineers and artisans. The role of an aggressive racial transformation programme in the current skills crisis, which encompasses the current load shedding crisis, cannot therefore be denied," he added.

Between May and July, Hermann said, Solidarity added another 450 names to its 2019 list, after calling for people to put their names forward. The trade union said it would now set up a panel and whittle down the 1 100-plus list to the top 100 people - the best of the best.

"We will look at people with decades of experiences, often with more than one qualification - those with the most sought-after skills available in the country. These top 100 change agents will have the ability to make tangible contributions to turn Eskom around. The question is, if the political will truly exists from government and Eskom to accept these individuals with open arms, and to give them the opportunity to help turn it around?" he said.

"We have a lot of appreciation for the fact that these people who have indicated their willingness to assist are not bitter about the past and how recklessly skills were dealt with according to racial ideologies. These are people putting up their hands with positive intentions, to say, here we are, we are ready to help solve the crisis," Hermann said.

Solidarity said it would wait another week or so to allow more time for those with skills and experience to add their names to the list.

News24 has asked Gordhan’s office to confirm whether he has written to any other trade unions or professional bodies, and t...

After holding onto its mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy for a while, the University of the Free State (UFS) has decided to drop it.

When the government lifted Covid-19 restrictions, UFS stuck to its policy of only allowing vaccinated people on campus, to the ire of union Solidarity.

In January, the union took the university to court to challenge the policy, which it deemed unconstitutional.

On Tuesday, UFS rector and vice-chancellor Professor Francis Petersen said the institution did a risk assessment before dropping the policy. "From the assessment, it was clear that the university's Covid-19 infections are currently a low risk."

Petersen said some of the reasons for dropping the policy included the high rate of vaccination and no new reported cases of Covid-19 in the university community in the past month.

He said the continuation of hybrid learning was also helping to minimise the risk on campus.

"We believe that Covid-19 no longer poses an immediate threat to the safety of our staff and students, and that the pandemic is at a stage where they should take responsibility for their own safety. This can be mainly ascribed to the success of the implementation of the policy," said Petersen.

"Staff and students who still wish to wear masks are urged to do so at their own discretion. Those who have not yet been vaccinated against the virus and have no known condition preventing them from doing so are advised to get vaccinated for their own safety and protection."

He said the vaccination policy could be reintroduced if there was a need.

"If the national regulatory environment with respect to Covid-19 is changing to such an extent that the policy needs to be reimplemented, the university's executive management will act accordingly, and hence the Covid-19 Regulations and Required Vaccination Policy remains a policy of the university.," Petersen said.

Morné Malan, Solidarity's head of communications, said the UFS policy restricted staff and students' constitutional rights.

"The university's policy has indeed managed to restrict constitutional rights. Although it is a good thing that this draconian policy has now been lifted, the fact that it was only brought about because the university was threatened with a cost order in litigation and not because it acted as a proponent for the rights of students and staff, will remain an embarrassing blemish on UFS' name," Malan said.

He said it was disappointing that the university had resisted dropping the policy.

"When the Covid-19 regulations were lifted at national level, but the UFS carried on with restrictions on its campus, it was clear that the university was committed to restricting the constitutional rights of students and staff without any clear rationale," he added.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended the National State of Disaster to August 18.

The gazetted extension comes as parts of KwaZulu-Natal, and other provinces, recover from severe flooding in April.

Dlamini-Zuma first declared a National State of Disaster on April 18 and the extension seeks to assist recovery efforts by government and its social partners.

More than 400 people have lost their lives to the April floods, with many still missing.

Acting Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka has confirmed that her office will, in line with the Public Protector Act, subpoena President Cyril Ramaphosa to respond to allegations in the Phala Phala investigation.

Former spy boss Arthur Fraser is claiming that Ramaphosa concealed a multimillion-dollar robbery from the South African Police Service and the South African Revenue Service.

In a statement on Tuesday Gcaleka said Ramaphosa, who was expected to submit his response to allegations made against him by July 18, had applied for a further extension, which she denied.

“We confirm that the President had until July 18, 2022 to respond to the allegations letter of June 07, 2022 after his previous request to have the initial return date of June 22, 2022 extended. A request for a further extension has instead been filed. The request for a further extension has been denied and was communicated to the President on July 18, 2022,” the Public Protector’s office said.

It went on to assure South Africans that the matter was being thoroughly investigated, adding that it would not comment further on the issue at hand to protect the integrity of the investigation.

“This is because investigating such matters in the glare of the public carries with it the risk of jeopardising investigations,” the office said.

Meanwhile, after requesting that she disclose whether the President responded to her questions, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is accusing Gcaleka of shielding information which, it says, is due to the public.

The EFF has made public its support for suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, and has accused Gcaleka of having “a history of connections” with members of the African National Congress.

“As things stand, the people of South Africa are left to believe that Ramaphosa has not responded to the 31 questions, meaning that the President of South Africa is in breach of the Public Protector Act and in contempt of the Office of the Public Protector,” the EFF said.

It went on to call Ramaphosa a constitutional delinquent for his lack of compliance and further accused Gcaleka of protecting Ramaphosa.

Government officials responsible for the billions of rands worth of late and non-payment of invoices by national and provincial departments need to be monitored and punished, National Treasury said on Monday.

It said that while there was an improvement in terms of the number of invoices older than 30 days there were not paid at the end of the 2021/22 financial year, there was still "a noticeable regression" in the number of invoices that were paid by national departments after 30 days.

Businesses supplying to government, especially small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs), have had to contend with the late payment of invoices for years, exposing them to significant risks, such as losing out on much-needed income, debt, and even closure.

National Treasury said payment of invoices within 30 days should be included in the performance agreements of accounting officers, chief financial officers, and other relevant officials.

"Disciplinary action should be taken against officials who fail to comply with the requirements to pay invoices within 30 days and who undermine the systems of internal control be taken," Treasury said.

It said accounting officers should ensure that the information to the relevant treasury is signed off and submitted within the timeframes stipulated in the National Treasury instruction note.

Treasury said the topic of payment of suppliers within 30 days must be "a standing agenda item at all executive committee meetings of all provincial and national government departments".

"To ensure that supplier operations continue without strain and financial difficulties, government institutions are urged to pay their suppliers on time and not contribute to the dire effects of the pandemic that has already put a strain on the financial sustainability of SMMEs," Treasury said.

At least two of the accused in the Zandile Gumede corruption trial have run into issues with paying their lawyers, leading to yet another postponement in the matter that has been in and out of court for about four years.

The trial was meant to start in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Monday.

The matter, which was heard in a packed courtroom, saw Judge Sharmaine Balton express frustration at last-minute matters raised by the defence lawyers.

She then postponed the matter to 27 July for pre-trial issues to be resolved in chambers.

The trial itself was postponed to 1 August when the matter was expected to commence.

Balton, however, warned all attorney's that she wanted to get the matter under way at the soonest. She stressed that the pre-trial matters heard in court on Monday should have been resolved at the previous pre-trial hearing.

"This trial is going to take a long time to complete. It is likely to take at least a year. We need to get the matter under way, and you all need to be ready to commence," she said.

Several issues raised in court

Cynthia Nzuza, the wife of former eThekwini city manager Sipho Nzuza, did not have a lawyer present in court. Her lawyer was only called once proceedings began, with the court hearing that Nzuza had only informed the lawyer that her services were required at around 10:30.

Her lawyer indicated that there were some constraints with payment and that this still had to be resolved.

Sandile Ngcobo, who was represented by well-known criminal trial attorney Jimmy Howse, indicated that he ran into financial troubles and could no longer afford Howse.

Balton then said that Ngcobo, who did not qualify for a legal aid lawyer because he is employed at the eThekwini Metro, should seek other options.

"If he cannot afford Mr Howse, he is going to have to look at other options," she said.

Another accused, Zithulele Mkhize, was not in court, citing influenza. A stayed warrant was issued for his arrest until 27 July. The court heard that Mkhize also could not afford the full services of his lawyer.

Meanwhile, Jay Naidoo, the lawyer representing Gumede, indicated he would bring an application to oppose the racketeering charges.

"We feel this is not supported by evidence. We filed an objection to the charges. The objection will only be entertained once the full indictment has been read," he said.

Senior state advocate Ashika Lucken opposed all applications made in court.

She told the court that the accused needed to expeditiously resolve their finances and other matters.

"We are ready to go," she said when asked if the State was ready for trial.

Gumede, councillor Mondli Mthembu and others are accused of colluding with corporate entities and others to circumvent the outcome of the municipality's supply chain management protocols to the tune of more than R350-million.

She allegedly gave instructions to the bid specification committee, bid adjudication committee and bid evaluation committee, despite mayors not being allowed to get involved in tender specification processes.

The Asset Forfeiture Unit and the Hawks seized 10 properties, including the plush Prestondale residence of Gumede's co-accused, Hlenga Sibisi.

The ANC removed Gumede and other senior party members from the powerful, decision-making executive committee of eThekwini in September 2019 after the party asked her to resign a month before.

As South Africa, and the world, celebrates Nelson Mandela Day on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa is viewing it it as an opportunity to remember that the problems facing the country can be overcome.

In his weekly letter to the nation he stated that the country faced a difficult time, as it saw itself in the midst of an energy crisis and as it dealt with a spate of violent crimes.

“Even as our economy is recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, poverty and unemployment are taking a heavy toll on millions who are struggling to make ends meet. Corruption has eaten away at our nation’s soul and has severely eroded the social compact between the state and citizens. Nelson Mandela Day is an opportunity to remember that these problems, like so many we have faced before, are not insurmountable. They can be overcome,” he said.

He hoped South Africans would see Nelson Mandela Day as an opportunity to recommit themselves to uphold the values former President Nelson Mandela stood for and to build the South Africa Madiba dedicated his life to.

He said Mandela always reminded citizens that there was "no easy walk to freedom" and that everybody shared a common responsibility for nation-building.

“In honour of the birthday of the founding father of our democracy, we are called on to dedicate 67 minutes to doing good works, serving others and making a difference in our communities. At a time when so much of the world is beset by hardship and strife, we are inspired by Madiba’s words that ‘it is in our hands to make a difference and to make the world a better place’,” Ramaphosa said.

CIVIL SOCIETY

Ramaphosa went on to highlight the contribution that community-based, faith-based and grassroots organisations had made in defence of human rights, the country’s Constitution and the interests of citizens.

He stated that when the State faltered, civil society reminded citizens of the obligation to advance the ideals for which Madiba and generations of freedom fighters made sacrifices for.

Ramaphosa welcomed the programme for democratic renewal, launched by a group of civil society organisations earlier this month, which called for people’s power to be re-ignited.

It was a call for communities to organise and mobilise around economic inclusion, social and climate justice and ethical behaviour, he said.

“Many civil society organisations are rooted in communities and have the keenest appreciation of the struggles of the people. Engaging and working with government to overcome the challenges in the country’s society is what participatory democracy is all about,” he said.

Ramaphosa explained that during the Covid-19 pandemic, this collaboration between government, civil society and other social partners was instrumental to provide support to society’s most vulnerable. He said such partnerships were vital as South Africa strived to rebuild its economy.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the African National Congress (ANC) is strongly considering the establishment of a second State-owned power utility to reduce the risk posed by Eskom's failings.

Speaking on the third day of the South African Communist Party's (SACP's) elective conference in Boksburg, Gauteng, Ramaphosa said the proposal was initially made by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe after Eskom plunged the country into stage 6 load-shedding.

"Our national [power] utility Eskom has not only been in a state of distress for the past three or four years. It has been in distress for easily 15 years. This has been because it has been operating according to a model that is no longer suited to the technology or the economic conditions of the present.

"When you fly from OR Tambo [International Airport] to Cape Town at night and just look down at the splendour of the wonderful lights [of] our country. and if you sit back and you ask yourself, 'Where is this generated from?'. And then you reflect on the fact that it is generated by one company. One company, that if it fails becomes a spectacular calamity for the country, then you will realise that there is a pressing need for change," he said.

"This risk that we have, if you look at other countries like China, it has a number of state-owned electricity-generating companies that even compete among themselves, leading to prices going down. And that is the future that we should begin to imagine," said Ramaphosa.

He went on to propose that the country should consider reducing the risk posed by having only one power utility.

"The risk that the country could be exposed to. for much of its history, this model that we are pursuing has worked, but we are today experiencing a great risk in that we are placing the sole responsibility for electricity generation in one company. That is why comrade Gwede (Mantashe) flirted with the idea [of considering establishing] a second one (power utility) which can be owned by the state. I thought this was a great idea," said Ramaphosa.

He also lamented Eskom's ailing infrastructure, saying it posed a great risk and led to rolling blackouts over the past couple of weeks.

"Because one company has been operating the electricity industry for the past 100 years, some of the problems have been that their power stations are more that 50 years old. I was saying to comrade Gwede the other day that when we started organising workers in the mining and electricity sectors in 1992, some of those power stations were already 20 to 30 years old, and that was 40 years ago. So, imagine those same stations now still pumping electricity," he said.

Mantashe, who was also at the SACP conference, told News24 he had indeed suggested a second power utility and that it was "receiving serious considering".

At its last meeting, the ANC's national executive committee (NEC) proposed a raft of changes in the government's day-to-day running of the ailing State-owned enterprise.

Calls were also made to speed up the establishment of alternative energy sources and accelerate the procurement of battery storage.

The NEC said the ANC-led government should speed up reforms in the energy sector, allowing for more power to be introduced into the national grid.

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has made further changes to the draft regulations to qualify for the R350 social relief of distress grant to include more people in the net.

Since the latest iteration of the grant started on 1 April, 11.3-million people applied but only 5.2-million people qualified. This is compared to 10.5-million people in the grant's last iteration where the qualification criteria were far less onerous.

The new version of the grant introduced a lower means test of R350 compared to R624 in the last version. This meant that anyone with income of more than R350 a month, even if it was support from a family member, did not qualify for the grant. The new iteration also cross-checked all applicants against the banking system, which was not done before. This is what led to the high number of disqualifications.

Last week Zulu said that the means test would be raised back up to R624, which is the food poverty line. On Thursday, the department said it proposed that although the cross-check against the banking system would still be applied, it would not be the central determinant of whether a person could get a grant.

The requirement that applicants reapply every three months would also be dropped.

The draft regulations are available for comment after which they will be gazetted.

The department also said that, as in the previous dispensation, unsuccessful applicants must submit an appeal for each month for which they have been declined. Appeals will now be lodged directly with an Appeals Tribunal and no longer with Sassa.

The new website for appeals is.

Although the new iteration of the grant was supposed to be seamlessly introduced from 1 April, the changes to the qualifying criteria stalled payments. No one has yet been paid for April or May and around half of the applicants were paid in June. Government has committed to back-paying everybody.

"The department extends sincere apologies for the long delay in assessing the April and May applications and we are doing everything in our power to fast-track the assessments, especially, the bank verification processes that are currently required by the regulations," it said in a statement.