The ANC secretary general said the Economic Freedom Fighters voting with the Democratic Alliance would not be a surprise should a motion of no confidence be brought against Ramaphosa
The parties remain divided over an increase in VAT, which the DA says South Africans cannot afford
The stand-off between the two parties dates back to 19 February when DA leader John Steenhuisen made clear the party would not support a national budget that proposed a two percentage point increase in VAT
The Trump factor, plus the ANC and the DA playing to the brink, has cost the country R1 trillion
South Africans have, in recent years, looked beyond the ANC in hope of finding new voices capable of holding the line on spending and corruption. Instead, what they have received is a bewildering capitulation and weak opposition
Here and worldwide people are feeling detached from society and lonely, so they grab onto populist political leaders and parties
This is a moment that calls for strong leaders and a united nation. Right now, we don’t have either
The ANC secretary general also said there was no truth to rumours that it and the DA had reached an agreement
The South African Communist Party is among 192 political parties that had not met the deadline to register with the Electoral Commission of South Africa
Budget approval hangs in the balance and resistance to it is set to play out in the legislature’s finance committees
The premier has also vowed that the province will be ready to host the G20 summit
The Democratic Alliance has suggested cutting government budgets for advertising, travel and catering, and a freeze on hiring for non-essential positions to make up the budget shortfall
Last year, the finance minister hinted there would be tax increases in 2025
Since the formation of the government of national unity, the Democratic Alliance and the ANC have clashed over several issues, the latest being the signing of the Expropriation Bill into law last week
Three groups emerged: those who negotiated quietly to set up the GNU; loyalists in the DA, ANC, EFF and MK party and the rogues in and out of trouble with the law
The party hopes to win back voters in the Western Cape, where its January 8 commemoration is being held
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for its alliance partners, the SACP and labour federation Cosatu, to unite to return the ANC to power
MANCOSA, like many other South Africans, discovered that dialogue about the past and planning for the future are equally powerful when it comes to nation-building
The government of national unity is working at a national level, but the same cannot be said about municipal coalition governments
Solly Mapaila has accused ANC leaders of publicly lying about consulting the party’s alliance partners on the government of national unity
The Democratic Alliance has promised to launch a legal battle if the government of national unity clearing house fails to provide resolutions to its concerns
Sources say Gauteng chair Panyaza Lesufi is not a threat to the ANC secretary general, but could be collateral damage
Strains are evident, but a cabinet ‘clearing house’ will offer the unity government a way of dealing with disputes
A national dialogue offers the opportunity to unite South Africans around a common vision, thereby giving rise to a people of national unity
Global tourism has reached 96% of pre-pandemic levels; tails are up
Shifts in party leadership can destabilise a coalition when the affected member is embroiled in intense factional battles and divergent views on whether to remain part of the coalition
But the government of national unity has the potential to lead itself and South Africa into a future that is different from the divisive past
Can our new government address South Africa’s many crises, and respond to its citizens’ needs?
This will be to the detriment of the majority of the electorate
A few weeks ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa passed into law the public procurement bill, ushering in a new era for South Africa’s procurement landscape.
The party’s first deputy secretary general said such interventions should be initiated ‘four years and nine months before the next elections’
As authoritarianism entrenches itself globally, it is vital that South Africa inspires a return of accountability and participation