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Overall crime stats remain high, Cachalia to 're-invigorate' community-policing

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia on Friday said although various categories of violent crime have declined, overall levels remain unacceptably high.

In releasing the 2025/26 third quarter crime statistics, Cachalia promised that the South African Police Service (Saps) would re-invigorate community-policing by establishing a national community-patroller programme for every province.

While patrollers will not undertake any policing functions, they will be deployed to increase security presence and prevent crime, particularly in transport nodes, walkways, around schools, et cetera.

Cachalia said he tasked the Civilian Secretariat for Police to develop the concept and a funding model, with the objective of training community members and issuing them stipends to assist with improving safety in their areas.

He highlighted that after more than a decade of yearly increases, murder was on the decrease since the first quarter of 2023/24.

"…this trend has continued throughout this year with this quarter showing a 8.7 decrease, or 602 fewer lives lost," he stated.

He said this meant that over the last two years, the numbers of murders for the third quarter period of October 1 to December 31 dropped by 17.6%, or 1 359 fewer murders.

He highlighted that total contact crimes, made up of all categories of violent crime, started to decrease in the third quarter of 2024/25.

"During this quarter, total violent crime decreased again by 6.7%, or 12 682 fewer cases reported to the Saps, when compared to the same quarter last year. Over the past two years, total violent crime for this quarter is down by 8.3%, or 15 763 fewer cases. This trend may well be attributable to enhanced policing operations," he noted.

While most communities have recorded a decrease in violent and property crimes, Cachalia said there were still too many communities that had recorded increases.

"This does not necessarily translate into a felt sense of security by individuals, families and communities," he said.

Of the 23 police officials who lost their lives 80% were off-duty.

Next month, Cachalia will hold a meeting of all Provincial Heads of Community Safety, including some Premiers, to ensure that Saps aligns the operations of the national, provincial and local governments in implementing the Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy in the high-crime precincts in all provinces.

"We also need to ensure that communities are supported with their local level programmes to improve public safety. However, this must be done within the law. Where communities take the law into their own hands, resulting in murders and assaults, this creates further work for an already overstretched police service," said Cachalia.

ORGANISED CRIME

While most organised crime was not recorded in the national crime statistics, Cachalia said the impact of these crimes was real and severely damaging for the country.

He explained that the quality of crucial public services such as education, health care and transport, was undermined when the public funds allocated for these services were stolen.

"In the private sector, the cost of goods and services increase as private companies charge more to make up for losses in stock or fraud or incur additional security costs to prevent becoming victims to syndicated crime," he explained.

He pointed out that the Madlanga Commission and related Parliamentary Ad Hoc inquiries had shown that organised criminality had infiltrated the country's criminal justice system.

He announced that the Saps had already established a dedicated task team to investigate evidence of criminality against senior Saps and Ekurhuleni local government officials who had been identified by the interim report of the Madlanga Commission as being part of criminal activities.

CONVICTIONS

Meanwhile, Saps National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola announced that between October 1 and December 31, a total...

NHI halted as Ramaphosa awaits ConCourt ruling

Two cases relating to the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) will be heard in the Constitutional Court in May, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to refrain from promulgating any provisions of the Act until they are both finalised.

One of the challengers of the NHI Act, Solidarity, said on Friday that it had received communication from Ramaphosa's legal team that the NHI would be placed on hold. It was signed into law by Ramaphosa in 2024 but is yet to be implemented.

The two cases that will be heard in May relate to public participation challenges.

"We are instructed to advise that, in order to ensure the orderly procedural conduct of the pending challenges and to avoid parallel proceedings overlapping, the President confirms the undertaking set out below. The President undertakes not to promulgate any provisions of the NHI Act prior to the Constitutional Court handing down judgment in the public participation challenges," a letter from Ramaphosa's legal team reads.

It further reiterated that Ramaphosa would not enforce any part of the Act until he was requested to do so by the Minister of Health.

"As previously stated, the President does not act in isolation in considering and determining whether to bring legislation into effect or in determining whether to implement the legislation," the letter continued.

Solidarity welcomed the NHI's delay, claiming that it was as a result of pressure from it and other organisations opposing the implementation.

Solidarity Research Institute economic researcher Theuns du Buisson said maintaining the pressure would give the Department of Health the opportunity to reconsider.

"It should, of course, never have progressed this far, as Solidarity has long indicated how unworkable, irrational and unaffordable the NHI scheme is. Even the Treasury recognises this, and we hope that this realisation is now also reaching the president and the minister of health," he said.

Solidarity is expecting to head to court next week over the consolidation of multiple cases against the NHI.

Corruption, crime major deterrents to private investors, DA vows to enforce accountability

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga on Thursday accused the African National Congress-led government of failing Gauteng residents, promising to rescue the province by acting against criminality.

Delivering his own State of the Province Address (SoPA), he pointed to a lack of accountability on as yet unpublished forensic reports and lifestyle audits, accusing Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi of empty promises.

Lesufi will deliver the official SoPA on Monday.

Msimanga said the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry had once again revealed that corruption was still festering and that Gauteng was a "petri dish of opportunities" for corrupt officials.

"This must end now! The endless promises made by the current Premier of this province have come to naught, as we still have not seen any lifestyle audits being released on the current executive," he stated.

He noted that a stopgap measure was put in place to remove Heads of Departments (HoDs) who did not pass the lifestyle audits and that only a portion of the 177 forensic investigation reports had been released and were heavily redacted.

"…what has come to light is the fact that corruption at the Tembisa Hospital is widespread, and no one has been held to account to date.

"In addition, Premier Lesufi denied our request and subsequent appeal to release the 177 forensic investigation reports. This is a blatant attempt to protect corrupt politicians and officials who are implicated in these reports," he said.

Msimanga announced that the DA had decided that where forensic investigative reports recommended that criminal action be taken and where none had been, the party would take action.

Last year, the DA opened a criminal case against former HoD for the Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics Ronald Swartz, regarding the misuse of the bus subsidy funds, which resulted in money being wasted because the proper authorisation procedures were not followed.

Msimanga said the DA was actively following the case and would continue to do so until it was concluded.

"While the police are investigating the charges against the former HoD, Lesufi's government is stonewalling us and hiding behind the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI). They refuse to release the full unredacted PricewaterhouseCoopers report, citing the POPI Act. While we do believe that where needed officials identities should be protected, we cannot support protecting corrupt officials," he said.

DA SUGGESTIONS

In its own plan to fix the province, the DA suggested that all government officials, including the Premier and MECs, sign a performance agreement to be made public, that set out strict guidelines on how and when targets needed to be met.

"This will not be a tick-box exercise. We will not do what the current Premier has done with the three suspended officials – move them to other departments where we think they will do no harm," Msimanga said.

The DA suggests that disciplinary action against officials take place within 90 days.

"There will no longer be long periods of suspension at the dime of the taxpayer. Corruption in this province and the rise in crime are among the major deterrents to private investors," he added.

Msimanga pointed to failing hospitals, a rising unemployment rate, while criticising government for cable theft and water cuts.

Msimanga promised that the DA would have an infrastructure master plan that would be implemented across all municipalities and provincial government departments where needed.

This, he said would mean that the party would be working with the private sector to establish public-private partnerships to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure projects in the province.

"Our track record in Midvaal speaks for itself; this municipality has received 11 consecutive clean audits. This has encouraged the private sector to invest in the local economy of Midvaal, which translat...

Parly committee flags ARV imports by companies listed as local

Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health chairperson Faith Muthambi is urging greater transparency and accountability in the process of awarding of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) tenders by the Department of Health (DoH).

The committee expressed concerns over an apparent lack of due diligence by the DoH when awarding tenders to Barrs Pharmaceuticals Industries and Innovata Pharmaceuticals, which were placed under business rescue in December 2025.

The committee questioned the impact of the two suppliers being unable to meet their contractual obligations and the extent of the problem, as well as the contingency plans the department had in place, and if due diligence was conducted on the suppliers prior to their receiving the tender.

Muthambi noted with concern that due diligence appeared to have been desktop-based, limiting the accuracy of local assessments.

The DoH indicated that it was procuring at least 70% of its ARVs from local manufacturers, however, committee members questioned this, estimating that 70% of ARVs were imported, while only 30% were produced domestically.

"It would appear that the country has at least four-million monthly patient capacity for Tenofovir Dolutegravir and Lamivudine (TDL) and yet less than 50% of this has been awarded domestically," she said.

Muthambi explained that this assessment was based on several factors, including referencing TDL, which accounts for 80% of the contract value.

"For the 84s pack size, members noted that Emcure (India) won 15% of the tender, but trade data from Indian customs indicates that Emcure imports its ARVs into South Africa.

"In the last three-year contract, which ended two months ago, Emcure imported $43-million (R1.6-billion) worth of ARVs, yet the department lists Emcure as local," Muthambi pointed out.

She highlighted that the department lists Barrs, Innovata, Aurobindo and Viatris as local manufacturers, despite evidence that they are importing ARVs into South Africa.

Furthermore, Barrs, having gone into business rescue, had been acquired by Hetero, which would import ARV products into South Africa, she said.

The committee wants the department to account for the discrepancy in the requirement that a minimum 70% be locally procured, when import data for the mentioned suppliers indicates otherwise.

The committee said it sought documentation proving that these manufacturers were indeed producing ARVs in South Africa.

"Additionally, members inquired why local producers like Sunpharma, Cipla and Adcock Ingram were excluded in favour of importers, and why the department did not maximise the capacities of both Aspen and Cipla, which could provide three-million monthly patient treatments, when both companies are competitive," Muthambi said.

The committee wants a breakdown of how the DoH conducts its due diligence, particularly in confirming the shareholding of these companies and verifying whether manufacturers claiming to produce ARVs in South Africa are actually doing so.

IMF proffers suggestions for South Africa's economy

To keep South Africa's economy stable and resilient, it is important to follow prudent fiscal policies that reduce public debt without impeding growth.

This is according to mission chief Delia Velculescu, who was interviewed by the organisation's Country Focus, following the release of the IMF's recent Article IV economic report.

The government's fiscal strategy, as set out in its 2025 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, focuses on stabilising public debt in the near term and lowering it to about 70% in the long run. This strategy will be underpinned by efforts to make spending more efficient, while protecting support for vulnerable people and key priorities, Velculescu explains.

This year's Budget, set to be delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on February 25, is expected to play a pivotal role in reaching these goals.

Velculescu emphasises that authorities will have to deliver on their target of a primary budget surplus of 1.5% of GDP, which requires credible reforms such as controlling the public-sector wage bill, making public procurement more efficient and transparent, maintaining close oversight of State-owned enterprises and boosting administrative efficiency which includes cutting programmes that are ineffective or duplicated.

"By better targeting social grants and eliminating fraud, more resources can go toward those most in need. Making full use of digital and AI technology in tax collection can also help raise compliance and increase revenues," she posits.

Velculescu stresses that reaching the government's long-term debt goal requires further fiscal action.

She says that establishing a clear, well-designed fiscal rule that is based on a prudent debt target can help encourage discipline, build trust in policies and reduce borrowing costs.

The IMF Country Focus highlights that South Africa showcases notable economic resilience in the face of global turbulence, successfully maintaining macroeconomic stability and controlling inflation.

Despite this, the country still faces relatively slow economic growth, high public debt and significant unemployment, especially among young people, and there are also concerns about the reliability of key infrastructure such as electricity, freight rail, ports and water.

Therefore, to unlock the country's significant economic potential, policymakers should pursue policies that focus on low and steady inflation, a sound financial system, and healthy government finances, while stepping up reforms supporting stronger economic growth, the Country Focus points out.

Velculescu welcomes the progress achieved thus far by Operation Vulindlela, which targets key constraints to growth.

"In the electricity sector, reforms permitting private participation have contributed to stabilising supply, including from renewable sources. Likewise, logistics reforms have opened freight rail and ports to private investment and competition, while ongoing water-sector reforms aim to enhance the delivery of municipal services," she highlights.

Velculescu calls for continued, resolute implementation of these sectoral reforms, with the IMF also recommending a comprehensive package of cross-sectoral reforms to improve the business environment, address governance challenges and corruption and increase labour market flexibility.

"Our analysis indicates that closing half of the gap between South Africa and emerging market best practices in these areas could result in an increase in real output of up to a 9% over the medium term. This may support annual growth rates of up to 3%, facilitating more sustainable reductions in unemployment and public debt," she highlights.

AfriForum serves summons on Ramaphosa, Motsoaledi over NHI Act

AfriForum has expressed criticism of the Act, since its signing in 2024.

"…the worst thing that can happen to taxpayers is the allocation of funds – equivalent to 10% of South Africa's gross domestic product – to a health system that will never function effectively," he said.

The organisation noted that although other institutions had already instituted legal proceedings against the Act, its legal action was the first of its kind against this law.

"AfriForum's summons launches a comprehensive attack on the NHI Act and points to the unconstitutionality of several provisions therein. The action proceeding offers, among other things, the opportunity to provide expert testimony in court if there are disputes about the facts," said Boshoff.

Spies explained that AfriForum objected to the dilution of provincial governments' constitutional powers, the restriction of patients' freedom of choice and the restriction of the clinical independence of health practitioners.

The organisation also objects to the "lack of rationality" of the NHI framework owing to what AfriForum says is its economic unworkability.

"The true cost of NHI will be much more than its mere rand value. The loss of, among other things, constitutional rights and patients' freedom of choice will ultimately result in a much higher price being paid," Boshoff stated.

Van Zyl claimed that all citizens and Afrikaners had been victims of the African National Congress's ideological agenda.

AfriForum's legal representative in the case Wian Spies said the organisation's legal action was based on the premise that the NHI Act was "inconsistent with the Constitution and must therefore be declared invalid and referred back to Parliament".

AfriForum head of public relations Ernst van Zyl said the NHI Act contained provisions that "not only affect the constitutional rights of AfriForum's members, but also those of the public in general".

AfriForum health spokesperson Louis Boshoff said considering South Africa's current political and economic climate, the NHI was "completely unworkable".

Civil society organisation AfriForum on Wednesday served a summons on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, as part of its legal action to challenge the constitutionality of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act.

Black earners expand share of South Africa's top income bracket

Rising remuneration among Black South Africans has dramatically changed the racial makeup of the country's band of middle- and top-income earners over the course of three decades of democratic rule, a new study has found.

About 41% of White households made more than R75 000 a month in 2024, down from 61% in 2012, while the proportion of Black households in that bracket climbed to 41% from 29% over the period, the study by the University of Cape Town's Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing found. It based its analysis on data from the national statistics agency's general household survey.

The shift underscores how economic disparities can narrow, even in societies shaped by deep, institutionalised inequality. The lesson is particularly pertinent in South Africa, where the Black majority was systematically discriminated against during colonial and apartheid rule, race and earnings were once inseparable and millions still live in grinding poverty.

The analysis of the income data gives policymakers and investors a window into how changing demographic and labour-market dynamics are reshaping wealth distribution and may serve as an indicator of South Africa's longer-term economic trajectory and growth potential.

In their report titled Social Class in South Africa, the Liberty Institute's researchers divided households into income bands largely aligned with government-defined thresholds, including those used to determine eligibility for social grants. Their findings show Black households now account for a larger share of the working and middle classes than their White counterparts.

The number of Black South Africans in the middle- and upper-income brackets — defined as those earning more than R22 000 rand a month — quadrupled to more than 7-million in 2024 from 2012, the researchers said. Overall, the total number of people in those income groups rose to more than 11-million, from about 4-million over the same period.

Even so, the gains at the upper echelons of the wealth ladder mask persistent strain at the bottom. Black South Africans predominate the ranks of the poor and working poor, and the proportion of them in that category are increasing, the study shows.

"One of the critiques will be that it has not happened fast enough," said Paul Egan, the institute's director. "But when we look at income and who is getting it, it's one of the bright stories in terms of how things have transformed."

South Africa consumer inflation falls to 3.5% y/y in January

South Africa's inflation rate eased slightly in January and economists expect it to remain subdued, keeping the door open for more interest rate cuts by the central bank.

Headline consumer inflation slowed to 3.5% year on year in January, down from 3.6% in December.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected annual inflation would come in at 3.4% in January.

The modest slowdown keeps headline inflation within the 1 percentage-point tolerance band of the central bank's 3% target.

A breakdown by Statistics South Africa showed the main contributors to January's inflation rate were housing and utilities, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and insurance and financial services.

She said markets were expecting the central bank to cut its policy rate by 25 basis points at its March 26 rate-setting meeting, in line with her bank's view.

Further out, spare capacity in the economy, lower oil prices and the strength of the rand currency mean his research firm expects 100 basis points of rate cuts over the course of this year, he added.

Annual core inflation, which strips out volatile items like food and energy, came in at 3.4% in January, its highest reading in 11 months.

But Jason Tuvey at Capital Economics said a further uptick in core inflation could make the central bank hesitant to cut rates in March.

Investec's chief economist Annabel Bishop said inflation was expected to be near 3.0% year on year in February and March before dipping below 3.0% in the second quarter.

AfriForum serves summons on govt over controversial NHI Act

Civil society organisation AfriForum will on Wednesday serve a summons on government to have the controversial National Health Insurance Act declared unconstitutional.

In 2024 Ramaphosa signed into law the National Health Insurance Bill.

AfriForum have since been vocal, criticising the Act, saying the flawed draft regulations for the NHI Act have, once again confirmed that the South African government is incapable of launching or managing such a complex system.

Boshoff has since said some of the regulations are so "poorly" written that they contain even less detail than the original explanatory articles of the NHI Act.

"Other regulations and sub-regulations are simply confusing or so vague that various interpretations can result from them," he said.

The organisation had in 2024 launched a class action lawsuit against the government, Ramaphosa, Parliament and the Minister of Health, for what it said was the damage that South Africans would suffer under the NHI policy.

Boshoff pointed out that AfriForum's legal action against the NHI Act would be launched during a media conference at Kempton Park Hospital to highlight how often State-run healthcare in South Africa fails.

AfriForum will explain, among other things, why it is essential that the destructive NHI Act be opposed.

It will also look at the political and economic implications of the NHI Act.

Meanwhile, last year the Health Funders Association launched a legal challenge against key aspects of the NHI Act, citing the Act as "unaffordable, unworkable and unconstitutional".

The association noted that while it supported the goal of universal health coverage, it believed that, in its current form and without private-sector collaboration, the NHI Act was "fiscally impossible and operationally unworkable and threatened the stability of the economy and health system impacting everyone in South Africa".

"Due to the numerous court cases brought against NHI and the state's enormous budget deficit, it was questioned whether the Minister of Health should have proceeded to publish draft regulations. Now, the published draft regulations lack any clarity about what South Africans can expect from the system," explained AfriForum Campaign Officer for Health Louis Boshoff.

The case is being served on President Cyril Ramaphosa, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane.

ActionSA urges informal sector job creation, DA blames govt for E Cape unemployment crisis

ActionSA called for the implementation of pro- small, medium-sized and micronterprise (SMME) reforms, cutting of red tape and prioritisation of creation of real jobs, particularly in the informal sector, before the economic and social costs become irreparable.

South Africa's official unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 of a percentage point to 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with the unemployment rate of 31.9% in the third quarter, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported.

Stats SA's Quarterly Labour Force Survey showed an increase of 44 000 in the number of employed persons to 17.1-million and a decrease of 172 000 in the number of unemployed persons to 7.8-million in the fourth quarter.

Stats SA's data showed that the number of persons employed in the formal sector increased by 320 000 in the fourth quarter, while informal sector employment decreased by 293 000.

He highlighted that while government celebrated a marginal drop in the official unemployment rate, the reality was stark.

"The very sector that should be absorbing unemployment – small, informal, and township-based enterprises – is collapsing and increasingly being taken over by illegal foreigners," he said.

Beesley condemned the Government of National Unity (GNU) for what he termed its "continued failure" to support South African SMMEs, township entrepreneurs, and informal traders.

"…a failure that has resulted in nearly 300 000 informal-sector workers losing their jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, along with the dignity and livelihoods they provide," he said.

Beesley pointed out that the GNU only managed to create 20 000 jobs, which he said highlighted the depth of "government neglect".

"The slight decline in unemployment for the quarter from 31.9% to 31.4% is not a sign of recovery, as 233 000 South Africans became discouraged and stopped looking for work. This is not a growing economy as boasted by the President in his State of the Nation Address. It is despair," he explained.

ActionSA pointed out that township entrepreneurs and informal traders faced punitive regulatory frameworks, including licensing, and heavy enforcement powers that discouraged formalisation and growth.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that closing just half of South Africa's regulatory gap relative to emerging-market peers could lift GDP by 2%, creating much-needed jobs.

"…instead, the GNU continues to allow red tape, policy uncertainty, and sky-high electricity costs to persist, deepening stagnation and entrenching unemployment," he said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) claimed that the crisis facing the Eastern Cape was not accidental, but rather man-made, reflecting years of "poor governance, lack of accountability, and failed economic leadership".

The party expressed concerns with the Eastern Cape's official unemployment rate which now stands at 42.5%.

Knoetze explained that the province was one of only two provinces where unemployment increased year on year.

The report showed that 79 000 jobs have been lost over the past year, including 32 000 in the last three months of 2025.

In rural areas of the province, the expanded rate of unemployment has now risen to 61.2%.

"This means that, on average, three out of every five working-age residents in rural Eastern Cape cannot find work," she said.

Knoetze maintained that rising unemployment in the Eastern Cape was inseparable from "poor service delivery, weak leadership, and collapsing infrastructure".

She noted the loss of major investment opportunities, which she said was a concern particularly in the automotive sector in Kariega, and declining industrial confidence, which she was illustrative of a province that is steadily becoming less competitive.

"This trend is compounded by failing municipal services, persistent infrastructure breakdowns, corruption, and the government's inability to spend public funds ef...