The ANC in the eThekwini region, once dubbed the biggest region of the former governing party in the country, has set itself a target to host its much-awaited elective conference before this year’s local government elections, potentially avoiding two centres of power. The assurance comes after allegations that some within the regional task team (RTT) are deliberately delaying the conference in order to “cling to power” and influence the nomination of councillor candidates. The spokesperson of the RTT, Thinta Cibane,…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has launched a scathing attack on the United States ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, accusing him of interfering in the country’s domestic and foreign policy and calling for him to be expelled from the country. In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, the EFF condemned remarks Bozell allegedly made during a BizNews conference, where he reportedly expressed frustration on behalf of the administration of US President Donald Trump about South Africa’s…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has welcomed the tabling of a motion by its caucus in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality council seeking to remove registered indigent households from the municipality’s debtors’ list and shield them from debt collection measures. The motion, scheduled to be debated at council at Germiston City Hall, proposes that all households officially recognised as indigent be removed from the city’s debtors’ database and have their qualifying municipal debt written off in accordance…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has welcomed a judgment by the Western Cape High Court declaring that the power to change South Africa’s Value Added Tax (VAT) rate lies with Parliament and not the finance minister alone — a ruling the party says affirms its long-standing argument about democratic oversight over taxation. The court found that a provision in the Value Added Tax Act 89 of 1991 allowing the Minister of Finance to unilaterally alter the VAT rate is unconstitutional.…

The former Deputy City Manager of eThekwini Municipality and a former confidant of former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede, has dumped the ANC and joined the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP). Phillip Sithole, who first gained prominence by turning Durban Tourism around and moulding it into a force to be reckoned with and later as the Deputy City Manager for Economic Development and Planning, joined the Jacob Zuma-led party today. Sithole left the city three years ago when his contract expired, and…

The Deputy Mayor of the corruption and scandals-prone Umswathi Local Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands has been reported to authorities after she allegedly applied for an administrative position within the same municipality. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that the deputy mayor, Nokuthula Mdunge, who is a member of the African National Congress (ANC), first took part in the council process that restructured the organogram of the municipality and then created the dubious position of Manager for Intergovernmental…

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has vowed it will not support an ANC candidate to chair Parliament’s newly established Committee on the Presidency, setting the stage for a political contest within the Government of National Unity (GNU). The committee is expected to elect its chairperson on Wednesday morning at Parliament, in what is being described as a key test of oversight over President Cyril Ramaphosa and his office. DA Chief Whip George Michalakis said the party would field its own candidate,…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the National Freedom Party (NFP) have agreed to attend a joint meeting of the so-called “black and progressive political parties” to discuss plans for a coalition government that will see the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) ousted in KwaZulu-Natal. The African National Congress (ANC), which holds 17 of the 80 seats in the provincial legislature, is still mum, and early indications suggest that without the approval from Luthuli House, they…

Calls for accountability over the Phala Phala farm investigation have intensified after multiple political parties demanded the release and parliamentary scrutiny of a report compiled by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) into the 2020 burglary at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm. The African Transformation Movement has formally written to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police, requesting that IPID be summoned to account for its findings and conduct during the investigation. In a letter addressed to committee chairperson Ian Cameron, ATM leader…

Colleen Makhubele has resigned as a member of parliament for the MK Party, effective immediately. Her decision comes just a month after she was removed from her position as the party’s parliamentary chief whip. In a statement posted on her social media accounts, Makhubele said her resignation was a necessary step for personal reflection and integrity. “It is with a heavy heart that I resign as an MP of the MK Party. I have served with dedication, but I believe…