Author: Kgaogelo Magolego
The ANC and the DA performed well during Wednesday’s by-elections that saw 15 political parties battle it out for 23 seats spread across the five provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, Northwest, Mpumalanga and the Free State. The DA registered landslide victories to retain 14 wards that became vacant as a result of councillors resigning. One of the DA’s strongest showing was in Ward 7 of the JB Marks Local Municipality under the North West’s Dr Kenneth Kaunda district where it secured 94 percent of the votes, up from 68% in 2021 with the ANC managing only 2 percent in the…
Political parties have continued with campaigns even on the day of by-elections as they battle it out for the 23 vacant seats spread across five provinces. A majority of the contested wards were previously held by the ANC and the DA with the exception of one in Lenasia, South of Johannesburg which was under the control of Al-Jamah. The ANC in Gauteng, led by its Johannesburg regional executive committee ran a spirited campaign and expressed confidence that it will win most, if not all of the contested seats. The ANC expressed confidence that it will outdo its opponents in the…
The ANC will not rush into disbanding structures or take other simplistic measures as it tries to recover from the loss of support it suffered in the May 29 National and Provincial Elections. The party’s National Working Committee met with the party’s Gauteng regional structures over the weekend and on Monday held discussions with the Provincial Executive Committee as it takes stock what it describes as a “major setback”. Secretary General Fikile Mbalula briefed the media on the sidelines of the meeting in Boksburg on Monday and said the assessment considered many factors and was weary of creating an environment…
Bongani Baloyi has become the latest prominent politician to join newly formed uMkhonto Wesizwe Party. Baloyi was welcomed into his new political home during a media briefing held in Soweto on Wednesday where he also announced that Xiluva which he founded last year would be de registered. Baloyi said the decision follows a bad performance in Xiluva’s maiden election, the May 29 national and provincial elections. “We gave it our best but the results were not in our favour so we had to sit down and reflect as leadership and following careful assessment we came to the conclusion that uMkhonto…
ActionSA has hinted at possibly holding an elective conference next year but equally says it is not a priority arguing that its mostly outsiders who are calling for it which it said was strange. The party on Tuesday held a media briefing during which it announced that among others it had lodged a complaint with the IEC for the commission to probe the financial affairs of the Economic Freedom Fighters and uMkhonto Wesizwe Party whom it accuses of misrepresenting donations they received for funding their campaigns for the 2024 national and provincial elections. The party also launched court action against the…
Afri-Forum has resorted to an online petition to protect the DA’s under fire City of Tshwane coalition government and Mayor Celliers Brink. The Afrikaans pressure group said its campaign was aimed essentially at blocking the Economic Freedom Fighters from getting into government in the metro by working with the ANC, ActionSA and others if Brink is removed. The group claims involvement of the EFF would spell disaster for residents of the capital and sought to convince all parties in the current DA-led administration to including ActionSA to agree to sacrifice everything to keep the red berets out of power. “AfriForum…
ActionSA wants the financial affairs of the Economic Freedom Fighters and uMkhonto Wesizwe Party investigated and announced court action against the Independent Electoral Commission to force the agency to probe how the ANC paid off a debt of more than R100 Million to a company known as Ezulweni which it had owed for several years. The party held a media briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday where it argued that its own assessment suggests the two’s election campaign costs ran into hundreds of million rand while they only disclosed donations of only R3,5Million and R380 000 respectively. The party is already in a…
The ANC has underplayed disagreements with its partners in the tripartite alliance over the Government of National Unity saying it’s part of a culture debate. Secretary General Fikile Mbalula briefed the media on Monday in Johannesburg following a meeting with the leadership of NEHAWU over offensive comments made by the party’s KwaZulu-Natal secretary Bheki Mtolo who has since been ordered to apologise unconditionally to the influential union. Mbalula called on ANC members and alliance partners to catch on arguing the country has gotten over uncertainty about GNU and has moved on. “Why are we stuck on this issue when the…
What was meant to be a mere suggestion in a multi-page political report has become a public relations nightmare for City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero who now faces not just backlash but calls for his resignation too. Morero has spent much of this week trying to make things right with residents of the city and South Africans at large seemingly to no avail. Morero made the call to recruit foreign nationals into the city’s law enforcement agencies on Sunday prompting an immediate reaction on social media with many calling for his head and his political principal Gauteng Premier Panyaza…
City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has bowed to pressure following his call for the employment of foreign nationals in the metro’s law enforcement agencies which he said would eliminate language barriers he believes are frustrating the fight against crime. Morero on Monday tendered a brief apology during a media briefing held on the sidelines of the ANC Regional Executive Committee meeting in Magaliesburg on the Westrand. Morero had made the suggestion during his opening address to the Lekgotla on Sunday drawing much criticism even within the ANC. “Upon further reflection I have come to the conclusion that my suggestion…