Polity.org.za Audio Articles

Speaker defends integrity of Parly legal team assigned to committee probing Saps allegations

National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza on Thursday expressed her "unequivocal confidence" in the competence and integrity of Parliament's legal advisory services team that has been assigned to support the ad hoc committee investigating allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Parliament established the committee after Mkhwanazi claimed corruption, political interference and malfeasance within the South African Police Service (Saps).

Earlier this month, the committee held its first meeting, and this week the committee reconvened and agreed on its final version of its terms of reference, which might be sent to members later this week.

Didiza said she was concerned about some remarks made during proceedings of the ad hoc committee, where the competence and integrity of the Parliamentary legal services team assigned to support the committee had been questioned.

While there was a suggestion that external legal advice be sought to lead evidence in the ad hoc committee, Didiza reaffirmed that its internal legal services provided the necessary expertise.

"Even if external advisers were engaged, they too would be entitled to the same respect and decorum expected towards the highly qualified legal team that currently serves the institution," she said.

She pointed out that casting aspersions on the Parliamentary legal services team for the way in which it delivered its legal opinions or for its advice, posed a serious risk to the credibility of Parliament and to the integrity of its processes, including those currently before the ad hoc committee.

"…it is also unfair and unjust to the individuals concerned," she added.

Didiza stated that Parliamentary legal advisers were highly qualified, admitted legal practitioners, governed by the Legal Practice Act and accountable to professional bodies such as the Legal Practice Council.

"Their work is rooted in principles of ethical conduct, professional responsibility, and the pursuit of justice in support of the constitutional mandate of Parliament," she said.

"Over many years, the drafting services and advice provided by this unit have passed the test under the most rigorous legal and constitutional scrutiny and the team has consistently guided the institution with credibility and authority," she explained.

Didiza pointed out that while Members of Parliament might, at times, find certain legal opinions "unpalatable or may disagree with them", the opinions were based on sound legal reasoning and were intended to support committees to act within the framework of the Constitution and the law.

SA concerned about escalating violence directed at Palestinians - Mashatile

The South Africa government has expressed concern regarding the escalating cycle of violence directed at Palestinians, which Deputy President Paul Mashatile said poses significant challenges for lasting peace and the favourable two-State solution.

Israel launched a campaign in Gaza in response to a Hamas-led attack on October 2023, in which about 1 200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least over 62 000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

Mashatile met with Palestine's Ambassador to South Africa Hanan Jarrar on Thursday, where they noted the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Mashatile and Jarrar said the meeting was aimed at strengthening and expanding the relationship between South Africa and Palestine.

Last month, Department of International Relations and Cooperation director-general Zane Dangor urged the government of Israel to immediately stop the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza, calling for an end to "institutional impunity".

In December, the South African government brought a case before the International Court of Justice regarding Israel's conduct in the Gaza Strip, citing genocide.

'The enemies of the US are not the enemies of South Africa' - EFF says Maphwanya must not apologise

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has waded into the controversy surrounding the remarks made by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya during his visit to Iran, with the party stressing South Africa's sovereignty.

The US has expressed "great concern" and seeks clarity from the South African government around Maphwanya's visit after he was quoted by Iranian State media pledging "common goals" with Iran, endorsing its stance on Gaza, and calling for deeper strategic alignment.

Tensions between the US and Iran heightened dramatically when the US and its ally Israel bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June, which only aggravated US-South Africa tensions that saw South Africa failing to secure a trade deal with the US, instead having tariffs of 30% levied by the US on a slew of South African goods and produce.

The EFF is hitting back at the US, defending South Africa's right to pursue trade, economic, diplomatic, and military relations with any suitable country, including fellow BRICS Plus member, Iran.

"We reject, with contempt, this arrogant posture by the United States, which presumes that South Africa owes it explanations for its sovereign diplomatic and military engagements… South Africa with Iran belongs to the grouping of the BRICS [Plus] countries that collaborate on social political and military matters. The enemies of the United States do not automatically constitute themselves as the enemies of South Africa, nor will our engagements be dictated by their shifting hostilities. This particular engagement with Iran was planned well before current tensions, dating back to 2024, and cannot be dismissed on the basis of temporary geopolitical disputes between the United States and Iran," the party said.

It described the US as hypocritical for its criticism of South Africa's relationship with Israel, while the US funds military aid for Israel and Ukraine.

"At no point has South Africa demanded an explanation or threatened its relations with the United States for arming those who kill and oppress our allies. Yet they presume that they can police our engagements with Iran, a sovereign State which has consistently stood on the side of Palestine and the oppressed," the EFF pointed out.

It reaffirmed its support for Iran's right to self-defence and warned South Africa should not be bullied and intimidated by the US.

"We must continue to engage freely with Iran and all other nations we choose to, without reducing our foreign policy to the emotions of Donald Trump or any other American President," the party said.

The party also hit out at the South African government for "interference" with the military.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the Ministry of Defence have publicly distanced government from Maphwanya's remarks, confirming they do not reflect official policy.

The Defence Ministry clarified that matters of the country's foreign policy and international relations were the sole prerogative of the President and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to meet with SANDF leadership and Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga, following Maphwanya's remarks in Iran.

The EFF went further to call out Ramaphosa for distancing himself from Maphwanya's trip.

"It is now clear why President Cyril Ramaphosa distanced himself from this visit, presenting it as if the Chief of the SANDF had gone rogue. In reality, he sought to downplay the engagement, anticipating America's displeasure and bending once more to the need to appease Donald Trump. This cowardly behaviour is consistent with the behaviour he displayed when he was in the Oval Office, unable to assert South Africa's independence in the face of imperial arrogance," the party stated.

It stressed the need for an independent military and said no apology should come from this sect...

MVC warns of deepening secrecy following Ramaphosa's approval of political funding limits

Civil society organisation My Vote Counts (MVC) argues that the new Political Funding Act (PFA) annual donation limit will deepen secrecy in political funding and make it easier for private interests to influence the country's politics and for corruption to occur.

The organisation will write to President Cyril Ramaphosa requesting that he explain his reasoning when he signed the proclamation on Monday to double the disclosure threshold and annual donation limit in the PFA.

The new annual donation limit will be R30-million, up from R15-million, and the new disclosure threshold will be R200 000, up from R100 000.

MVC pointed out that the immediate impact of a higher disclosure threshold and donation limit was that there would be more secrecy in political funding.

"…the details of all donations under R200 000 will not be known to the public. This is an enormous sum for most South Africans and donations of such amounts should be made public knowledge to facilitate scrutiny of parties' relationships with donors and ensure that donors are not receiving anything in return," it explained.

The MVC pointed out that judgment was pending in this matter and that should its case succeed, the amendments to the Act would be set aside, including the determination of these new limits.

The organisation said it would consider other legal options to address Ramaphosa's action, while it awaits judgment.

The MVC stressed the need for balance between adequately funding parties, and regulating and mitigating the risk of undue influence from donors.

"The decision by the President - based on a resolution adopted first by the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and then the National Assembly - does not strike such a balance. It fails to do so because the new limits are not based on empirical, context-specific evidence and research that took balancing factors into consideration," it said.

MVC described the move as a "politically expedient power grab" that infringed on constitutional rights, political rights and the right of access to information, arguing that when a right was to be limited, there needed to be adequate justification for doing so.

"The State has never provided a legitimate reason why all donations should not be disclosed to the public," it said.

In May, the MVC urged Ramaphosa to reject a National Assembly report supporting the increase of the donation limit and the yearly disclosure threshold for political party funding, arguing that the report on the PFA, from the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, was arrived at "irrationally" and was unconstitutional.

The MVC said assessing whether the limits were still appropriate and factoring in inflation from time to time was a standard procedure that should occur.

"When the opportunity arose, MVC was hopeful that Parliament would remedy the limits to make them fit for the South African context. This is an issue that MVC has long argued - that the original limits adopted in 2021 were not only too high, but had been adopted without due regard to empirical evidence and were therefore irrational and unlawful," the MVC explained.

It accused the portfolio committee and the National Assembly of rejecting and ignoring research on developing limits for South Africa, as suggested by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

"…as a result of this intentional misstep, the original 2021 limits became the basis from which amendments to the limits were proposed and debated, tainting the entire process with irrationality," MVC said.

South Africa's inflation pushed to 10-month high by food and fuel prices

South Africa's consumer price inflation rose to 3.5% year-on-year in July, driven to its highest level since September 2024 by higher food and fuel prices though still within the central bank's target range.

The increase from June's 3.0% reading matched economists' expectations.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation ticked up to 5.7% year-on-year in July from 5.1% in June, while fuel prices edged higher after four months of deflation, the statistics agency said on Wednesday.

Annual core inflation, which excludes volatile items such as food and energy, stood at 3.0%, slightly below analysts' forecasts of 3.1% and remaining within the central bank's 3% to 6% target range.

Inflation has been well under control, allowing the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to cut interest rates at three of its four policy meetings so far this year.

Last month the SARB cut its main lending rate by 25 basis points to 7.00% and signalled a shift towards a lower inflation goal of 3%, down from the current 4.5%. The finance minister has yet to sign off on the change.

Any sustained uptick in the cost of staples could force the central bank to start raising rates to achieve a lower inflation target, analysts said.

"Rising costs in essentials like food and utilities could make achieving a lower target difficult without significant policy interventions which may require (the) SARB to begin increasing rates at some point," said Zain Vawda, market analyst at MarketPulse by OANDA.

LOWER TARGET

SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago has consistently called for a lower inflation target, saying the current range is too wide and undermines the competitiveness of Africa's largest economy.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, who is responsible for setting the official inflation target, said earlier this month that further consultation was needed and ruled out announcing a new target in the mid-term budget expected in late October.

Economists said the SARB's push for a lower target could be challenging in the short-term.

"Combined with uncertainties around tariffs, the timing of this move feels somewhat misplaced," Vawda said.

The SARB's next interest rate decision is scheduled for mid-September. Johann Els, chief economist at Old Mutual, said he expected rates to remain unchanged while the central bank focuses on guiding inflation towards its preferred 3% target.

Parly Saps committee says Mkhwanazi will be the first person to appear before it, as it agrees to terms

Parliament's ad hoc committee investigating allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said the final version of the terms of reference (ToR) will be sent to members within the next two days, to allow for review before its formal adoption.

Parliament established the committee after Mkhwanazi claimed corruption, political interference and malfeasance within the South African Police Service (Saps).

Committee chairperson Molapi Lekganyane said the first meeting was held earlier this month, where it was agreed that the draft ToR guiding its work should be finalised by August 8.

On Monday the committee deliberated extensively on its ToR and among the items agreed on was that Mkhwanazi would be the first person to appear before it.

Lekganyane said the committee would adopt the ToR in its next meeting and was also expected to discuss its draft programme.

"The committee further agreed that it will procure external legal support and delegated Parliament's Constitutional and Legal Services to start the process to procure such services," said Lekganyane.

The committee agreed that witnesses would be required to submit sworn written statements.

Other matters agreed to include access to information and protecting whistleblowers within the relevant legal provisions.

The committee is expected to conclude its work by October 31.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it was concerned about ongoing delays in finalising the ToR, pointing to a time crunch for Parliament.

DA spokesperson on Police Ian Cameron said the longer Parliament delayed, the more justice was denied to victims of crime and the communities living under the weight of "Saps capture".

DA slams delays in Parly's Saps corruption committee

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it was concerned about ongoing delays in finalising the terms of reference for Parliament's ad hoc committee into the allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Parliament established the committee after Mkhwanazi claimed corruption, political interference and malfeasance within the South African Police Service (Saps).

In June, Mkhwanazi accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of unilaterally disbanding the Political Killings Task Team and redirecting 121 active investigation dockets to the Office of National Deputy Commissioner Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, where they have allegedly been neutralised.

The committee held its first meeting earlier this month, where it agreed that the draft terms of reference guiding its work should be finalised by August 8.

DA spokesperson on Police Ian Cameron pointed to a time crunch for Parliament.

"…every day lost to procedural wrangling is a day that the rot inside the South African Police Service continues unchecked. The allegations involve political interference, the sabotage of specialist task teams, the removal of case dockets, and collusion with organised crime," he said.

He said the longer Parliament delayed, the more justice was denied to victims of crime and the communities living under the weight of "Saps capture".

The DA has stated that the terms of reference must be comprehensive and empower the committee to get to the truth.

Cameron said the DA wanted the committee to name implicated individuals and provide timelines and evidence relating to Mkhwanzi's claims of case docket removals, the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team, and interference in Crime Intelligence.

The DA wants the committee to publicly identify implicated Saps leadership, make recommendations for disciplinary action, or removal, and immediately refer all criminal findings to the National Prosecuting Authority, Special Investigating Unit, Independent Police Investigative Directorate and other relevant bodies.

Cameron claimed that some political parties were reluctant to probe the role unions could have played in protecting compromised Saps officers.

He said avoiding this issue risked weakening the credibility of the inquiry before it began.

"The DA is ready to start. We want this committee to hear evidence without delay, to name the implicated, and to begin the urgent work of restoring integrity to Saps. South Africans expect action, not excuses," he said.

ANC to take 'necessary steps' against Gigaba, Mchunu for 'de-campaigning'

The African National Congress (ANC) has said it will take "the necessary steps" against Member of Parliament Malusi Gigaba and suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's recent behaviour, which the party said amounted to deliberate "de-campaigning" of the ANC.

This after Gigaba claimed the party had "lost its way" and failed to achieve its goals, and Mchunu warning that the party was on the verge of collapse.

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri described Gigaba and Mchunu's conduct as a "flagrant violation" of the party's internal communication protocols and said it undermined the fundamental discipline of the movement.

"Their remarks do not reflect the views of any legitimate structure of the movement and must be seen as an opportunistic assault on the collective image, credibility, and cohesion of the African National Congress," she said.

She accused them of casting aspersions on the ANC's character and unity, which she warned weakened confidence in the party.

"No disciplined comrade would out of their own volition make statements that embolden forces that have long sought to reverse the gains of our revolution. The ANC will take the necessary steps to correct this behaviour and no comrade will be exempt from the discipline of the organisation which demands unity, discipline, and revolutionary morality from all," Bhengu-Motsiri added.

She stressed the ANC was a revolutionary movement that was guided by democratic centralism principles and led through disciplined structures.

She said no member was above the requirements of organisational discipline and pointed to the party being on a renewal journey, saying the process could not co-exist with ill-discipline.

"…we have no tolerance for conduct that seeks to weaken the collective. We call on all members and leaders of our movement to return to the basic principles and values of our movement and be committed to respecting the integrity and sanctity of our organisational processes," Bhengu-Motsiri said.

Parly committees to meet with Ministers over Maphwanya's comments in Iran

The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans and the Portfolio Committee on International Relations will hold a meeting with the Ministers of the associated departments on the recent remarks made by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya during his visit to Iran.

Maphwanya was quoted by Iranian State media pledging "common goals" with Iran, endorsing its stance on Gaza, and calling for deeper strategic alignment.

Political parties have since called for disciplinary action to be taken against him, with the Democratic Alliance calling for him to be court-martialled for what the party says is gross misconduct and a breach of the SANDF code of conduct.

Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans chairperson Dakota Legoete and Portfolio Committee on International Relations chairperson Supra Mahumapelo expressed concerns over Maphwanya's comments, as well as a lack of coordination between defence diplomacy and South Africa's official foreign policy.

"The chairpersons also note with alarm that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation has publicly distanced itself from the General's comments and that the Presidency called the visit 'ill advised'," a statement from the committees read.

It warned of misalignment in South Africa's international relations and advised that the Department of Defence ensure future alignment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to meet with SANDF leadership and the Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga, on which Legoete said his committee awaited the outcome.

"These engagements must demonstrate unity, strength and synergy in how South Africa conducts itself on the international stage," Legoete said, adding that the SANDF should be apolitical.

Rise Mzansi urges new pact to steady South Africa coalition

South Africa's 10-party coalition government should forge a new pact that outlines shared obligations and expected conduct to avoid the internal disputes that have repeatedly threatened the alliance, Rise Mzansi said.

The African National Congress formed the so-called government of national unity in June last year after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. Since then, Government of National Unity (GNU) members have clashed over key issues, including a national budget that took three attempts to pass.

Tensions have also flared between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) - the bloc's two largest parties - over graft and core economic policies. Songezo Zibi, leader of Rise Mzansi, another GNU member, stressed the need for the alliance to move beyond a two-party pact and fully include all partners.

"You need to change the current agreement and make it a mutually binding agreement amongst all political parties," he said at a press conference on Monday. "We need to have obligations in terms of how we behave and what our minimum political program is going to be."

The DA has also called for the management of the bloc to be reviewed.

The current statement of intent governing the alliance is non-binding, with agreements limited to bilateral deals between the ANC and each of the nine parties, according to Zibi. Party leaders in the GNU have only met three times outside of cabinet meetings since it was established, he added.

"It's not possible to get into a cooperation arrangement where you are contesting an election together in some form and none of you are willing to make compromises," he said.

Parties in the coalition will face voters next year in South Africa's first municipal elections since the formation of the GNU.