Author: Larson Thebe
By Stephen Chan The party of Nelson Mandela, elected in 1994 on a wave of euphoria and hope, has had its difficult moments – notably during the Zuma years of corruption – but its hold on power had always seemed electorally assured. It had brought liberation and taken South Africa forward. But it had not taken all of South Africa forward, and had seemed indifferent to the growing clamour for reform, an end to corruption and greater employment opportunities. Above all there was clamour for far greater attention to be paid to the country’s badly decaying infrastructure, particularly the precarious…
Operations have been halted at the Sibanye-Stillwater Kwezi Shaft 5 in Rustenburg in the North West, following an underground sit-in by more than 200 mineworkers that began on Monday morning. Thirteen of the workers resurfaced from underground on Monday morning. The workers are unhappy about the non-payment of the dividend of the Employers Share Ownership Scheme (ESOP) and are demanding that the employer pay the dividends before they abandon the labour strike. Sibanye has already issued an intention to dismiss the protesting workers. A team comprising representatives from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union…
Seven people have died, and more than 1300 others evacuated following floods that have affected the Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Kariega and other parts of the Eastern Cape. Floods damaged cars, houses, infrastructure, and displaced residents have been accommodated in community halls, churches, chalets, old age homes and temporary housing structures. Several areas are still without water following the heavy rains. The floods come after the South African Weather Service, issued a warning last week. “After a relatively dry and warmer-than-usual month of May, South Africans can expect the first significant drop in daytime temperatures over the coming days,…
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said it will on Sunday evening release the results of the 2024 elections, despite a threat of a legal challenge by some political parties and independent candidates. This after they accused the IEC of alleged vote rigging and irregularities during the elections. Briefing the media on Saturday evening at the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand, IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya said that South Africans were anxious for the commission to complete its work and announce the final outcomes. The announcement comes as the IEC extended the deadline for political parties to lodge the objections…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally signed into law the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill of 2023 that establishes the two-pot system that allows members of retirement funds access to retirement savings, without having to resign or cash out entire pension funds. The retirement system comprises a savings and retirement component for contributions made after 1 September 2024, while historical retirement benefits will be housed in a vested component. Individuals will have access to amounts in the savings component before retirement for times of financial distress, and the amounts in the retirement component are preserved until retirement. The primary objective of the…
Day two of the second Telkom Netball League (TNL) Power Week at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, saw teams coming out stronger, hungrier, and more strategic to perform well and entertain spectators who flocked to the venue. The match-up between the Flames and the Aloes saw a lot of turnovers with the ball going up and down the court. The Flames put tremendous pressure on the Aloes forcing them to make many errors and capitalizing on that but could not end in the winning seat as the Aloes edged the win with 2 goals. While talking about capitalizing on…
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has confirmed that its leadership board is running smoothly again, after it experienced technical glitches on Friday morning. The board was offline for about an hour, and journalists and party agents at the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand. “The Electoral Commission confirms that it has experienced interruption in the replication of data from its national data centre and the various Results Operation Centres (ROC). The data in the data centre remains intact and the results have not been compromised. All services have since been restored and the leaderboard is working normal. Result processing…
Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts at his hush money trial, becoming the first criminally convicted US president in history. He sat emotionless as the jury convicted him on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. Daniels says that they had a sexual encounter in 2006, which Trump denies. Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate in the 2024 race, is the first convicted felon to run for the White House. “I am a very innocent man,” Trump said in the hallway of the courthouse after the verdict…
Investors in South Africa had anticipated an election result in which the ruling African National Congress could govern handily in combination with a smaller party. However, estimates pointing to a major decline in ANC support have shaken those expectations and released a flood of uncertainty. The rand fell as a model devised by a state research agency revealed that the ANC is on track to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since coming to power at the end of apartheid 30 years ago. The rand plummeted as much as 2%, trading at R18.7639 per dollar. It has since…
The African National Congress may lose its 30-year parliamentary majority, according to provisional election results. South African voters punished the erstwhile liberation organisation after years of decline. Nelson Mandela’s party may form a coalition with other parties, marking the first time it has shared power in the country since apartheid. With results in from 29.5% of polling stations, the ANC’s share of the vote in Wednesday’s election stood at 42.5%. It won 57.5% of votes in the previous election in 2019. “The ANC might have to consider forming an alliance with one of its major rivals in order to maintain…