Author: Kgaogelo Magolego

In an unprecedented escalation of hostilities the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame has threatened war against South Africa if it maintained a presence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Kagame, a military strongman, made the threat in direct reply to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media platform X. “If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator. And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day,” said Kagame.…

The government has denied claims that South African National Defense Force (SANDF) soldiers deployed in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lack basic weapons, ammunition, and supplies. Several ministers briefed the media on the sidelines of the cabinet Lekgotla on Wednesday in Pretoria and pushed back against the narrative of a weak national defence force. Defence Minister Angie Motshekga who was leading the briefing said she was in Goma around the time of the escalation and had the assurance of senior officers that there was enough military gear and supplies. “As I say I was in Goma and went to…

The biggest players in the Government of National Unity have vowed to stick together despite being frustrated with each other over serious ideological differences. The ANC are the largest and second largest in the GNU, compromising of 10 parties and on Tuesday they separately undertook to stay the course even as they continue to differ on key issues of transformation. The DA briefed the media at its offices in Johannesburg and said the GNU was the most ‘precious’ thing in South Africa at the moment. “The GNU is the most precious thing for South Africa at the moment, to the…

The suspicion around the company, partly owned by the South African government, coincides with claims that the South African National Defence Force lacks basic military equipment and would have been out of their depths against M23 rebels in Eastern DRC where 13 South Africans were killed this week as the rebels advance towards the city of Goma.ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the government is yet to see proof that Rheinmetall Denel Munition ( partly owned by the government) was shipping arms to countries it is not supposed to be supplying.“ We have not seen any proof really and we…

The ANC has called for calm as calls mount for the recall of South African soldiers currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission. The calls for the soldiers’ return follows this week’s killing of 13 of them at the hands of rebel group M23 which has advanced towards the city of Goma, the provincial capital of Eastern DRC. “The ANC extends its deepest condolences to the families of the SANDF soldiers who tragically lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the UN Mission deployed in the…

The party briefed the media in Johannesburg on Tuesday and slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa for signing the expropriation bill into law without consulting coalition partners. DA Leader John Steenhuisen said the ANC wrongly regarded the GNU as an extension of the sixth administration in which the liberation movement had a clear majority. “We need to dispel the misconception that this is an extension of the sixth administration, its not, this is a new government altogether,” said Steenhuisen. He said the ANC also confused being the largest party in the coalition into being a majority party. “We are all minorities in…

The divisions within the African National Congress (ANC) continue to deepen, as Secretary General Fikile Mbalula issued a stern warning to potential defectors contemplating a move to the newly formed uMkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP). His remarks follow a troubling trend within the ANC, suggesting that former President Jacob Zuma’s influence remains a persistent albatross around the party’s neck, jeopardising its unity and electoral prospects. During a media briefing held in Johannesburg, Mbalula reflected on the ANC’s expectations regarding Zuma’s MKP, predicting an appeal to some disgruntled members of the ruling party. However, he insisted that mass defections are unlikely. “You…

South African born businessman and now politician Elon Musk is increasingly emerging as a key figure in Trump’s inner circle and was slammed for seemingly doing the Nazi salute associated with the holocaust in a move captured on video. “Within hours of Donald Trump taking the oath of office, billionaire Musk gave the Nazi salute during his speech at an inauguration rally. It was not an accident or a mistake, he did it twice. Way to go America,” said Gabe Sanchez, TV host and comedian in a post on X. “Donald Trump’s inauguration was full of billionaire oligarchs, just like…

With fighting paused in the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas focus has shifted to the supply of weapons to the Zionist state with international monitoring groups zooming in on entities believed to be shipping arms that may escalate the conflict. In South Africa, a Non Profit Organisation has sounded alarm about suspicious movement of arms by a German company with a manufacturing plant situated in Boksburg in Gauteng’s Ekurhuleni District. Rheinmetall boldly declares on its website to be a key weapons supplier of Ukraine and the NPO Open Secrets warns the company could be violating South Africa’s…

The Provincial Executive Committees of the ANC in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal successfully fended a fierce attempt by a Fikile Mbalula to have them disbanded. Following a heated two-day meeting, the party decided to reconfigure the structures instead. The party is yet to announce the decision formally stating it first had to brief structures in the affected provinces. Although the party lost support across the country in the 2024 general elections, its National Executive Committee has singled out the two provinces as having lost the most votes and sought to intervene to avoid further decline. The NEC held a heated two-day…