The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) is set to appear before the Constitutional Court of South Africa on Wednesday, challenging the constitutionality of the parliamentary process that led to the adoption of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act in 2023. In its application, the BHF argues that Parliament failed to meet its constitutional obligation to facilitate meaningful public participation before passing the legislation, and is seeking to have the Act declared invalid and set aside. The organisation stressed that its…

A South African social media commentator, researcher, and geopolitics analyst, popularly known as [Evaluator @_AfricanSoil], has formally escalated allegations of serious human rights violations against the South African Office of the Presidency, multiple state institutions, and media houses. The matter has been reported to both domestic and international authorities in pursuit of justice. African Times has seen the letter. According to a detailed complaint submitted to oversight bodies, the geopolitics commentator alleges they were subjected to unlawful targeting, surveillance, and…

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi returned to Parliament on Wednesday for a dramatic re-examination before the Ad Hoc Committee, delivering fresh allegations, clarifications and politically charged claims as the inquiry nears its conclusion. Mkhwanazi, the Committee’s final witness, took the oath and faced questioning in what is expected to be one of the most consequential sessions before the committee wraps up its work at the end of March. Political parties are expected to submit their closing remarks later on…

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has distanced itself from Dr Mary de Haas following public questions about her relationship with the institution after her appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee this week. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the university said De Haas is not an employee and does not hold a professorship at UKZN. According to the university, De Haas retired from the former University of Natal in 2002, where she worked as a senior lecturer and programme director…

Parliament has confirmed that the Ad Hoc Committee established to investigate allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi will begin its hearings on Tuesday, with Mkhwanazi himself set to take the stand as the committee’s first witness. The hearings are expected to attract national attention, as Mkhwanazi prepares to expand on a series of explosive claims he made earlier this year about alleged criminal infiltration within South Africa’s justice system, including the police service, prosecution authorities, and…

Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests has ruled that it will not investigate Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie over decade-old tweets containing the K-word – but political and public pressure for his removal continues to mount. In a decision announced on Tuesday, the committee concluded that the remarks, which resurfaced earlier this month, predated McKenzie’s swearing-in as a Member of Parliament on 14 June 2024 and therefore fell outside its jurisdiction. “The Code of Ethical Conduct…

Opposition party ActionSA has raised red flags over the appointment of ANC MP Hon. Soviet Lekganyane as chairperson of Parliament’s newly established Ad Hoc Committee tasked with probing explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. In a pointed statement issued on Tuesday, ActionSA MP Dereleen James said the credibility of the committee could be undermined from the outset due to potential conflicts of interest linked to the ruling party. “It would have been more appropriate for…

In a rare move to underscore accountability among senior office-bearers, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests has imposed a R10 000 fine on Deputy President Paul Mashatile for failing to declare a registrable gift — specifically, a diamond — within the legally required timeframe. The fine, announced this week, has been criticised by some as merely a “slap on the wrist” for one of the country’s most powerful political figures. Mashatile, who returned to Parliament following the 2024 general…

Parliament has directed three of its oversight committees to urgently investigate serious allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, implicating senior police officials and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu in political interference and corruption. On Wednesday, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza confirmed that the Portfolio Committee on Police, the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, and the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence have been instructed to consider the claims and report back to the National Assembly. Didiza…

The National Assembly has hit back at Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, saying It is “inappropriate” and wrong for a person representing one of the arms of the state to publicly attack Parliament. It accused Zondo of speaking out of turn, failing to follow proper channels of communication between different arms of the state, creating an atmosphere of distrust and violating the principle of separation of powers by attacking both the National Assembly and the Executive led by President Cyril Ramaphosa. …