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The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has raised the repo rate by 25 basis points, to 3.75%.

This is the first rate hike in three years.

Three members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) preferred an increase, with two preferring rates to remain steady, Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago said during a briefing on Thursday.

While the MPC expects inflation to stay close to the mid-point over the forecast period, inflation risks have increased, he added. Risks to the short-term inflation outlook are expected to be on the upside.

"Global producer price and food price inflation continued to surprise higher in recent months and could do so again."

Additionally, oil prices have increased sharply, with current prices well above the bank's forecasted levels for this year.

"Given the moderate medium- and long-term inflation projections set out above, a weaker currency, higher domestic import tariffs, and escalating wage demands present additional upside risks to the inflation forecast," Kganyago said.

Growth outlook

"While the domestic economy grew strongly in the first half of 2021, the second half of the year is expected to show mixed results," Kganyago said.

The bank revised the growth outlook from 5.3% to 5.2%. The revision is due to a larger negative effect on output than was previously estimated from the July unrest and other factors.

Third-quarter growth is expected to be -2.5%, compared to -1.2% previously.

GDP for the fourth quarter is expected to be 2.6%, compared to 1.6% previously.

Overall GDP for 2021 still reflects a "healthy bounce-back" from the economic effects of the pandemic.

"The July unrest, the pandemic and ongoing energy supply constraints are likely to have lasting effects on investor confidence and job creation, impeding recovery in labour-intensive sectors hardest hit by the lockdowns," said Kganyago.

Load shedding will also continue to constrain investment. "The faster vaccine rollout presents some upside risk to the growth outlook," he said. Risks to medium-term growth, however, are expected to be on the downside.

The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) revealed on Thursday that six political parties have made disclosures of donations totalling more than R55-million for the period from July to September 2021.

The African National Congress received R22 619 969, ActionSA received R16 923 382, the Democratic Alliance (DA) disclosed R16 867 007.43, the African Christian Democratic Party received R235 000, GOOD disclosed R122 900 and Abantu Integrity Movement (AIM) disclosed R112 386.04.

AIM’s disclosure was for donations received by the party during the first quarter, between April and June 2021. These donations were only declared to the IEC in the second quarter.

“Party funding prescripts state that donations received by political parties must be disclosed on a quarterly basis. In the circumstance, the Commission resolved to publish the donations despite their late submission in the spirit of transparency and openness. For corrective action, a directive has been issued against the party as provided for in the legislations,” the Commission said.

Four political parties disclosed a total of R780 675.47 in donations-in-kind; ActionSA with R 498 382.00, GOOD R122 900.00, AIM R112 386.04 and the DA with R47 007.43

Political parties have disclosed a total of three donations from foreign sources, with a combined value of R467 007.43.

The DA declared two of the donations, valued at R347 007.43 and ActionSA disclosed a donation of R120 000.00.

Registered political parties are required by the Political Party Funding Act to disclose donations above R100 000 to the Electoral Commission.

The Commission explained that it is important to note that no donations above R15-million in a year may be made by a donor to a political party and foreign donations should not exceed R5-million in a year.

The Commission added that foreign donations may only be used for policy development, training or skills development of members of a political party.

The Commission said with respect to non-disclosing parties, the prescripts provide that the onus rests on both political parties and entities making declarable donations to their preferred parties to disclose such donations to the Commission.

The Commission therefore entreats all registered parties to ensure that all declarable donations are disclosed.

“This is a vital component of our political architecture driving openness and transparency in matters pertaining to democracy. Disclosures can only serve to strengthen the informed political choices of citizens,” said the Commission.

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo reportedly has until 1 January 2022 to submit his State Capture Inquiry report findings and recommendations to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

According to Business Day, Ramaphosa signed off on the official deadline for Zondo to submit his findings and recommendations in October, as stipulated in the Government Gazette published on 9 November 2021.

In September, Zondo sought another extension of three months for the commission to complete its final report, which will be handed to Ramaphosa.

Zondo, who chaired the commission in his capacity as Deputy Chief Justice, justified the extension by pointing to delays in the preparation of first, second and third drafts of the analysis of evidence given by 330 witnesses over the three-year period, News24 reported.

"When I made the assessment that my team and I should be able to complete the report by the end of September, I did so on the basis of the time I believed it would take to complete the first drafts and the time it would take for us to complete the second drafts and the third drafts," Zondo said in court papers seeking the extension.

Zondo also stated that another cause of the delays was that one of the people on his team, who was supposed to prepare summaries and analyses of evidence on two topics, was ill and had not been to work for a month.

He sought an extension until 31 December for his team to conclude its work.

In his founding affidavit asking for the extension, Zondo also stated that he thought he and his team would have completed the first draft on various topics by the end of June, the second draft by the third week of August and the third and final drafts between 10 and 15 September.

The commission started its hearings in August 2018.

It was initially intended to take only six months but saw multiple extensions thereafter as scores of witnesses took the stand.

According to Business Day, Zondo also wants the bulk of the work to be finalised by 20 December so the deadline of 1 January can be met.

In September, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola challenged Zondo's extension application but later aborted his case.

Lamola argued that Zondo's application for another extension was unconstitutional.

He asked the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to cap the commission's future costs at R15 million, News24 reported.

Following a request from political parties, the City of Tshwane's first council sitting will not take place on Thursday.

The council will sit on 23 November - the deadline day for councils to form coalition governments.

Political parties had indicated earlier this week that they would request to postpone the sitting.

No political party won an outright majority to govern the capital city. The lack of a majority winner led to intense coalition talks among political parties to form a coalition government.

In a meeting held on Wednesday morning, Tshwane's city manager, Mmaseabata Mutlaneng, ceded to calls from political parties.

"The 1 November 2021 local government elections did not produce the outright winner to govern Tshwane. Consequently, parties are frantically hard at work to cobble together a coalition government," the City explained on Wednesday afternoon.

The agenda for next week's meeting will see Mutlaneng oversee the council sitting, which will witness the swearing-in of councillors. The election of speaker and mayor is on the agenda.

Tshwane was governed through a shaky Democratic Alliance-led coalition government since 2016. The African National Congress took over briefly when it was placed under administration.

The Gauteng government's decision to place it under administration was ruled unlawful by the High Court and the Constitutional Court.

On Tuesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said a coalition government was possible for the DA, Freedom Front Plus, Congress of the People and the African Christian Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, the City of Ekurhuleni will not hold its first council meeting on Thursday, as previously announced. The council sitting will now take place on Monday.

The metro has not secured a majority for any political party, and its future is also dependent on coalition negotiations.

The council sitting will see the election of the speaker, mayor and the swearing-in of councillors.

The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Wednesday announced that it was entered into an agreement with the African National Congress (ANC) in the 21 hung KwaZulu-Natal councils.

IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said, while his party had announced last week that it would not be going into coalitions with the ANC, talks with other smaller parties and a broader look at the voting patterns in the province in hung municipalities had made the party change its mind.

"What we experienced in many of the discussions we held over hung municipalities was not encouraging. Some political parties appeared to see themselves as kingmakers and felt entitled to make difficult demands.

"Some wanted the mayoral chain, others wanted to be speaker. At a fundamental level, this would be a manipulation of democracy, for these positions they want were not fairly won through the ballot box," he said.

"In KwaZulu-Natal, it is clear that voters in each municipality predominantly chose either the IFP or the ANC, with the exception of Umngeni where the DA was the majority choice. Despite there not being an outright majority in some municipalities, either the IFP gained the most seats or the ANC did.

"Thus, after frank discussions at national level with the ANC, we have come to a broad understanding that where the IFP has the most seats, despite no outright majority, the IFP will form the municipal government. Reciprocally, where the ANC has the most seats, despite no outright majority, the ANC will form the municipal government," said Hlabisa.

Principle

He assured IFP voters that "neither party [the IFP or ANC] will interfere in this process, and will support the principle of the two largest parties becoming the government and official opposition respectively".

Hlabisa’s announcement came only a day after EFF leader Julius Malema announced during his party’s media briefing that they had agreed in principle to enter into coalitions with the IFP.

Malema spoke about how the ANC would not regain control of the eThekwini municipality, after it lost its outright majority.

He added that the EFF had contributed to the ANC's loss of eThekwini and the other 20 municipalities in the province.

The ANC said its national executive committee (NEC) members had worked hard to convince the IFP to end its stance on not working with it in the province.

"ANC NEC members have been in talks with the IFP since the outcomes of the results came out, and are still in talks even at this point. At some point, even the President Cyril Ramaphosa was roped in when talks seemed to be heading towards a deadlock," said a senior provincial ANC member.

They added that what the ANC had promised to accelerate strides towards ensuring that the two parties finally get back to a point where they were one party.

"With the ANC’s performance in the province during these elections, and the looming 2024 elections, forming one party with a party that is eating up most of our support would actually work in our favour.

"Plus, the ANC made it known to the IFP that, should it join forces with the EFF, it would make things hard for itself for such a time as it will again to join the ANC, as it would have given Malema’s party a platform to eat at both of our support," said the ANC member.

‘There are moments in life that are pure, and which seem to hang in the air, unhitched from the everyday world as we know it. Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space and time with their own hidden prospects. For want of a better term, we call these moments “magical” and when we remember them they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.’

For 14-year-old Johnny Clegg, hearing Zulu street music as plucked on the strings of a guitar by Charlie Mzila one evening outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, was one such ‘magical’ moment.

The success story of Juluka and later Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language, story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack to many South Africans’ lives during the turbulent 70s and 80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to democratic freedom. It crossed borders, boundaries and generations, resonating around the world and back again.

Less known is the story of how it all began and developed. Scatterling of Africa is that origin story, as Johnny Clegg wrote it and wanted it told. It is the story of how the son of an unconventional mother, grandson of Jewish immigrants, came to realise that identity can be a choice, and home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOHNNY CLEGG was born in England on 7 June 1953. He grew up in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and spent a formative year in Zambia as that country transitioned to independence in 1964. Together with Sipho Mchunu, Clegg formed the multiracial band Juluka. They toured the length and breadth of South Africa, performing in township halls and at music festivals. The song ‘Scatterlings of Africa’, a hit in 1979, launched their international career and saw the band invited to perform in Europe and the United States. In 1986, after Juluka disbanded, Clegg formed Savuka, and many of his iconic songs came from that era – ‘Asimbonanga’, ‘Great Heart’ and ‘The Crossing’. Clegg died on 16 July 2019, leaving his wife Jenny, and sons Jesse and Jaron.

Scatterling of Africa: My Early Years is published by Pan Macmillan South Africa

‘A steakhouse is a theatre of the senses, and the opening act is the fire in the heat of the grill section, warming us, mesmerising us, drawing us closer, igniting in us a hunger for good food and good company. This is the story my hands have to tell, of the company they helped to build and the promise they helped to fulfil. The promise of A Taste for Life.’

Join Allen Ambor on a rock ’n’ roll ride through the restaurant business and pioneering days of franchising in South Africa. Ambor’s exuberance for life and exacting management style shine through on every page of this memoir of a man who went from being a hippy waiter to opening the first Spur in 1967 and growing it into an empire that included more than 500 franchises under the Spur, Panarottis, John Dory’s and RocoMamas brands.

‘This book is a backward glance of someone who created a business that is as South African as Izintaba zoKhahlamba, or the Drakensberg Mountains, as they are also known.’ - Muzi Kuzwayo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allen Ambor founded Spur Steak Ranches in 1967 when he invested R4 000 to open the Golden Spur in Newlands, Cape Town. After he opened the second restaurant in Sea Point, he decided that franchising was the best option to grow the business, which listed on the JSE in 1986. Ambor lives in Cape Town and is an Iyengar yoga practitioner and teacher.

A Taste for Life: How the Spur legend was born is published by Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said on Tuesday that he was confident that a coalition government could take control of the City of Tshwane without the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

Political parties have two weeks to form coalition governments following the November 1 local government election.

Steenhuisen said a government in Tshwane could be formed by a coalition of the DA, ActionSA, African Christian Democratic Party, the Congress of the People and the Freedom Front Plus, making up the 108 required to have a majority.

“You add the IFP into the mix, it’s another seat there but just with those five parties you can form an opposition government in Tshwane. There is a very clear path for the party in Tshwane,” he said.

Steenhuisen criticised PA leader Gayton McKenzie, saying the ex-convict was only interested in patronage networks and municipal tenders.

This comes after McKenzie announced that his party had agreed to form a coalition government with the African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg.

Leaders of political parties met in Sandton on Monday to work out deals in the key hung metros of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

“For Gayton McKenzie it is all about patronage networks and how to influence the allocation of member mayoral council positions and dispensing of jobs to his pals. This would ultimately lead to the State capture of municipal entities. Even at our meeting on Monday, Mr McKenzie was only interested in positions for his party in the council,” said Steenhuisen.

He admitted that McKenzie’s decision to form a coalition with the ANC, which was part of the meeting of opposition parties on Monday, would “narrow the path to power of opposition parties in Joburg”.

The DA had since announced that it would not enter coalitions with the ANC or Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said McKenzie was allegedly misleading people when he said the meeting of opposition parties collapsed on Monday, saying parties agreed to meet again, and in fact parties agreed to continue bilateral meetings.

“All the parties agreed to give feedback to their respective national leaders and we agreed to continue holding bilateral meetings with other parties. The meeting on Monday was to bring together all the parties we had bilateral talks with, under one roof,” Steenhuisen said.

Zille said there was no formal agreement between the EFF and the DA in Matzikama local municipality, in the Western Cape.

The DA in Gauteng also announced the election of Peter Teixeira as Mayor of Midvaal Local Municipality in Gauteng.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a four-day mourning period for FW de Klerk. National flags will be flown at half-mast from sunset on Wednesday to Sunday.

The De Klerk family has arranged a private cremation and funeral, but the government will at a future date host a State memorial service.

De Klerk died on Thursday after an extended illness, at the age of 85.

In a statement, the Presidency said the national flag will be flown at half-mast "as a mark of respect" for the late former president.

"Government has consulted the De Klerk family and the FW de Klerk Foundation as part of preparing for this event in which government leaders, leaders of political parties and representatives of civil society will participate," the Presidency said in a statement.

The FW de Klerk Foundation has announced that the cremation and funeral will take place on Sunday.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema on Tuesday laid out the party’s requirements for possible coalition partners as it ruled out further talks with the African National Congress (ANC).

The EFF said the ANC had negotiated in “bad faith”.

Malema reported that the EFF held two meetings with the ANC and did not establish any consensus on anything because the ruling party’s delegation did not concede to any of the EFF’s negotiation principles and policies.

“Instead the ANC wanted to rush into discussions to discuss power sharing and positions in municipalities before discussing the principle and policies raised by the EFF. Based on this report, council resolved to stop coalition discussions and negotiations with the ANC because they are failing to provide clear commitments and timelines on the key issues raised as the basis for negotiation,” Malema said.

He stressed that the EFF would not vote for or support any ANC candidate in all municipal elections for any position, including those of Speaker, Chief Whip and mayors.

“The EFF will not vote for political parties that did not approach us for coalition discussions. In municipalities where there is sufficient consensus and sufficient enough to win, the EFF will fill candidates for positions in the municipalities and in each instance will publish the basic principle and policies of such a collaboration,” he said.

Some of the basic policies the EFF wants consensus on include a Constitutional amendment for land expropriation without compensation within six months, the creation of a State bank in twelve months, as well as nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank in twelve months.

Other non-negotiable cardinal pillars for the EFF include commitments with timelines for jobs, water and electricity, flushing toilets and care for people with disabilities.

Malema also added that the cancellation of student debt must be realised in twelve months.

He said that whatever coalition the party enters into, anti-racism must not enforce white supremacy and Afrikanerdom.

He added that there must not be interference in the appointment of the municipal managers and all other senior managers.

The EFF leader stressed that the publication of concrete agreements reached with coalition partners would be made to avoid a perception that there were secret agreements.

The party further mandated its negotiation team to enter into coalitions and negotiations based on the creation of a State pharmaceutical company in twelve months and the passing of an Insourcing Bill in twelve months.

“The Stem must be removed from the national anthem in twelve months, clinics must be opened for 24 hours in seven days. There must be provision of sanitary towels for all who need them and provision of free water and electricity for all Sassa beneficiaries. Yesterday the negotiations team tabled a report to the war council and adopted a posture to the composition of the municipalities as part of the engagements,” said Malema.

He added that the team met with ActionSA, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and many other small organisations.

He said there was a mutual agreement between his party and ActionSA and added that the EFF respected ActionSA’s decision to not work with the EFF.

He said he hoped that their decision was autonomous from external influences.

With the IFP, the EFF’s negotiation team held one meeting and established sufficient consensus to collaborate in many hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.

The details will be published after the Special National Council meeting on Tuesday.

Malema said the EFF has opened its doors to all political parties in South Africa to have open and frank discussions and negotiations on coalitions because the party is interested in establishing stable governments in all municipalities in South Africa.

He said the EFF is ready to serve the people on the ground.