The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has become the latest South African politician to call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to withdraw the country’s soldiers from the war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Malema said that South African soldiers should serve as the first line of defence for the country’s people, not for mining companies and their capitalist counterparts. “Our soldiers must withdraw from the DRC, not only because they have not been given the necessary…

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has escalated tensions with South Africa, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa and government officials of spreading distortions and lies following their telephonic conversation about the ongoing conflict in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), that has resulted in the deaths of 13 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members. In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday night, Kagame alleged that media narratives from South African officials, including Ramaphosa himself, were riddled with “distortion, deliberate…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has finally been authorized to probe the corruption-ravaged KwaDukuza local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The authorization is contained in a gazette signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday and later published on the government gazette and the website of the SIU.  The investigation into the ANC-run municipality will focus on three major tenders. These are the KwaDukuza Mall Bulk Supply which entailed the upgrading of an industrial 33/11 KV substation, KwaDukuza Mall Bulk Supply (not linked…

The expropriation bill, which President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law on Thursday, has pitted the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), Dean Macpherson, against his deputy, Sihle Zikalala. This was after the two expressed contradictory views on X (Twitter) today, 24 January 2025, with Mcpherson dismissing Zikalala’s eagerness to implement the expropriation law as nothing more than a personal “opinion.” The Expropriation Act is the latest policy battleground between the DA and the ANC, Mcpherson and Zikalala’s political homes,…

The provincial executive committees (PEC) of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have survived the axe – at least for a week. The party’s Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula announced on Monday (January 20) that the national executive committee (NEC) meeting over the weekend decided that the party’s top seven officials will have to come up with a framework on how to reconfigure the PECs of the two key provinces. Panyaza Lesufi and Siboniso Duma lead the two ANC provinces as…

ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s foray into Khayelitsha township in Cape Town turned into a political disaster when a resident tried to eject him and his party’s delegation conducting a door to door campaign ahead of the January 8 rally. The embarrassing spectacle was beamed live on Newzroom Afrika on Tuesday, January 7, as the 24-hour news channel was tailing Mashatile and his ANC delegation in the area. The governing party is set to hold a rally at the Nelson…

South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary Solly Mapaila has defended the party’s decision to dump the ANC and contest elections independently, saying they sought to protect the revolution rather than act as observers when the Democratic Alliance (DA) has more influence in government than the communist party. He says the SACP wants to “tackle capital directly”, improve the lives of South Africans and strengthen the ANC-led alliance rather than weaken it, as critics claim. Mapaila spoke at the Avalon…

Despite threats and grumblings by the DA, one of his Government of National Unity (GNU) partners, President Cyril Ramaphosa has fully signed the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA) into law. In a statement released by the Presidency on Friday, December 20, Ramaphosa said he signed the new law and instructed Basic Education Minister and DA member Siviwe Gwarube to implement the BELA Act fully.  The first part of the act was signed in September this year, but two portions…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has bestowed the prestigious Order of South Africa on Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço during his State Visit to South Africa on Thursday, December 12, 2024. The Order is the highest honour that South Africa bestows on its citizens and distinguished foreign nationals. During the state visit, the two leaders engaged in extensive discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral agreements and enhancing diplomatic relations between their nations. President Ramaphosa congratulated President Lourenço on his re-election…

Following an online backlash, the South African Presidency has come out to clarify the comment by President Cyril Ramaphosa that visa regulations for Nigerian tourists coming to the country would be eased.  The clarification has eased the pressure on Ramaphosa who was already facing an online backlash for suggesting that in order to ease the flow of people between South Africa and Nigeria, the process would be simplified.  “We want to see Nigerian products on the shelves of South African…