Category Archives: South African News

News24.com | ‘I can’t be in the same government with the ANC. That’s not negotiable’ – Herman Mashaba

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City of Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba says there is no way that he will serve in a coalition government with the ANC.

Mashaba was speaking to News24 on Saturday following the Democratic Alliance’s ‘Phetogo’ final rally held at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.

On Thursday, in an interview with News24, EFF leader Julius Malema said while he was unsure of what partnership models the EFF would adopt after the May 8 elections, he wants to see Mashaba remain in charge of the city.

“I can only be a mayor if I have got the mandate of the majority of the people in council. For as long as it is not the ANC. I don’t want ANC support, I don’t want to be associated with them,” Mashaba said, replying to Malema’s statement.

READ: ‘Something inherently dangerous about a coalition between ANC and EFF’ – Maimane

He said he would gladly accept support from the EFF as long as it would not associate him with the ANC.  

“I cannot be in the same government with the ANC. That one is not negotiable,” he said.

Mashaba said, since coming into office as mayor, he has always appreciated the “strategic input” the EFF has been giving him. 

“When I prepare a pro-poor budget, I receive strategic input from the EFF because they are more on the ground much more than us as the DA. That is something that I value and respect,” he said.

In the interview with News24, Malema said his party would only ask for mayoral committee posts as it was happy with Mashaba.

“I said to everyone that I am prepared to make Mashaba a mayor of Johannesburg, even with the ANC. If the DA says to hell with you, we are prepared to beg Mashaba to stay on and continue to serve the people of Johannesburg,” he said.

However, Mashaba said it would be unfortunate if the DA would lose support from the EFF as they remained committed to serving the people.

“We would obviously like for the EFF to keep giving us this support, because we as the city of Johannesburg are committed to serving our people. We have committed ourselves to be a pro-poor government,” he said. 

ALSO READ: Hopeful youth turn to DA as masses attend Soweto rally

News24.com | LIVE: The UDM’s Kwankwa answers your questions

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Kwankwa: The youth were not protesting for attention. They were trying to defend a constitutionally enshired value of multi-party democracy. If you were to go to Chapter 1, the very first section of the Constitution, that deals with the founding provisions of the Constitutions. Subsection A says SA will be founded on the values of human dignity, the attainment of equality, the advancement of human rights and freedom. The second is non-racialism and non-sexism. The third value is supremacy of the Constitution. The fourth value is about universal suffrage, a national common’s voters’ role, regular elections and a multi-party democratic government to ensures accountability and responsibility and openness. It’s not the UDM that says that, it’s the South African Consitution that says that.

In 2014 South Africans gave meaning to that by saying we want to have 13 political parties. Who is eNCA to say that we are no longer going to respect the will of the people. Had eNCA not invited us to that debate what happened last night would not have happened. They invited us, we accpeted, and made the necessary arrangements. I even flew to Johannesburg. When media houses invite us, they think all we do is say yes, but influences your entire campaign programme. That influenced my entire campaign schedule.

It’s an unadulterated clap-trap. What the young people of the UDM did there… there was no violence. They put up clear placards that said what we are standing and fighting for. The young people of a party is the first line of defence. The young people of the UDM was our first line of defence and defended an important value of our multi-party democracy that was infringed upon. 

The battle needs to be taken forward. Once the results of the elections are declared, we need to ask, what do we mean by mutli-party democracy? Are we being true to respecting the will of the people? We can’t have media houses that seem to be biased in favour of certain parties. If that’s true, we’re going to make it difficult for them to operate. Especially if they’re going to do it in communities where we have people. 

News24.com | LIVE: ‘All hell broke loose’ when Berning Ntlemeza was appointed as acting Hawks boss – Booysen at #StateCaptureInquiry

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2019-05-03 11:30

The judicial commission of inquiry into state capture continues with further testimony from former head of KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Johan Booysen.

WATCH LIVE: State Capture Inquiry 

(Courtesy of SABC)

Former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysen

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11:04

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Going through the list of advocates whose names often come up, Booysen mentions Advocate Mrwebi, Advocate Jiba, Advocate Noko, Advocate Mosing, Advocate Pretorius, Advocate Matenjwa, Advocate Maema…

September: “The common names though, that appear through your observations in more than one matter, are thus Advocate Mrwebi, Advocate Noko, Advocate Mosing, and Advocate Jiba. Is that correct?” 

Booysen: “That’s correct.” 

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State capture: Booysen claims Madhoe, Panday prosecution decision was “an attack on me’ 

A memorandum that spelt out a decision that police officer, Colonel Navin Madhoe, and businessman Thoshan Panday should not be prosecuted was an “attack on me”, a former Hawks boss claimed.

The former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss, General Johan Booysen was testifying at the state capture commission of inquiry on Thursday and the memo referred to was from then-Director of Public Prosecutions in KZN, advocate Moipone Noko.

“What concerns me the most about the memo is that it is an attack on me. It makes me look like the accused person. I would have at least expected her to give me an opportunity to state my case,” Booysen added.

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State capture inquiry: Mrwebi queried validity of cases former KZN Hawks boss probed 

Former KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss Johan Booysen says suspended special director of public prosecutions Lawrence Mrwebi queried the legal validity of the corruption case of a policeman and a controversial KZN businessman.

Colonel Navin Madhoe and businessman Thoshan Panday had been charged with corruption for allegedly trying to bribe the Hawks boss who was investigating Panday for procurement contracts with the South African Police Service (SAPS) during the 2010 World Cup.

“Soon after both had been arrested and appeared in the commercial crimes court in Durban, the investigating officer alerted me that the prosecutor Bheki Manyathi had received communication from advocate Mrwebi.”

“‘Besides a scrap piece of paper, what other evidence is there against Madhoe?’ he asked Manyathi,” Booysen told the state capture commission of inquiry on Thursday.

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Edward Zuma allegedly tried to get Booysen to unfreeze R15m in seized funds, State Capture Inquiry hears 

The son of former president Jacob Zuma, Edward, allegedly attempted to get former KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Hawks boss General Johan Booysen to unfreeze R15m seized from controversial businessman Thoshan Panday.

Booysen’s secretary received a request from someone claiming to be the brother of former President Jacob Zuma in June 2010.

“The gentleman arrived at the office. The gentleman introduced himself as Edward Zuma, who is actually not the brother, but the son of the then President.

“He started talking about the R15m I had frozen. He wanted it to be unfrozen. He said he was a silent partner of Panday and he was not getting his dividends,” Booysen testified at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture on Wednesday.

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Rogue cops, corruption and patronage: McBride testifies about ‘rotten’ SAPS at state capture inquiry 

Former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride says the SA Police Service (SAPS) runs on patronage.

“That is how it has been running. Promotions in this area will be related to protecting seniors involved in corruption and maladministration.

“It is a system that has not been challenged and the intention of a corruption syndicate is to steal money,” McBride told the Zondo commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture on Tuesday.

The former IPID boss was testifying about alleged attempts to capture the SAPS, the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

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Zondo denies Moyane leave to cross-examine Gordhan 

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has denied axed SARS commissioner Tom Moyane leave to cross-examine Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, while one issue remains reserved for further “clarification”.

“Any witness appearing before the commission may be cross-examined by a person, should the chair deem it necessary and in the best interests of the function of the commission,” Zondo said in his judgment at the commission of inquiry into state capture on Tuesday.

“The true test is whether it is necessary, or if it serves in the best interests of the commission,” he added.

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Nhleko did not understand the notion of IPID’s independence, McBride testifies 

Former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride says former Minister of Police Nathi Nhleko “did not understand” the notion of the independence of IPID.

McBride was testifying at the judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture on Friday.

The former IPID boss said he wrote to the Portfolio Committee on Police before his suspension to clarify contradictory reports relating to the so-called Zimbabwe rendition. 

But Nhleko was not happy with this, McBride testified. He told inquiry chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, that he was not sure why Nhleko was unhappy with him for obeying the law.

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Incorrect report used to suspend former Hawks head Anwa Dramat – state capture inquiry hears 

Former police minister Nathi Nhleko allegedly acted on an incorrect report when suspending former Hawks head Anwa Dramat, the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture heard on Thursday.

Former Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) head Robert McBride told Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that Dramat was forced out of office and into early retirement and was then replaced by Berning Ntlemeza.

Dramat’s suspension stems from the so-called illegal rendition of five Zimbabweans.

McBride said when he was appointed as IPID executive in March 2014, he was briefed on the rendition case. However, it became clear to him that the case was not investigated independently in line with the IPID Act.  

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News24.com | ‘Something inherently dangerous about a coalition between ANC and EFF’ – Maimane

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(AFP PHOTO / RODGER BOSCH)

DA leader Mmusi Maimane says no good can come from a coalition between the EFF and the ANC and insists that the EFF must be investigated in connection with claims that the party benefited from the collapse of VBS Mutual Bank.

Maimane made the comments during an interview with News24 during which he defended his party’s posters, which urged voters to keep the ANC and EFF out of the Western Cape.

The DA currently enjoys majority control of the province and is seeking a fresh mandate, despite a series of political blunders and controversies over the past year, including a clash between the party and former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille over her role in both the party and the City.

“I do think there would be something inherently dangerous about a coalition between the ANC and EFF. Once you get to those issues (the VBS allegations), then the amendment of the Constitution around section 25 becomes possible, which is equally dangerous from where I sit,” Maimane said.

“We are in an election here! Therefore I must maximise how many voters turn up and must make them aware of the worries and the dangers that could come on board,” he said as he defended his party’s position.

The DA leader seemed to struggle to explain why the EFF, which is in a working partnership with his party, deserved to be kept out of the Western Cape but remained good enough to work with in two of Gauteng’s metros – Johannesburg and Tshwane. He said he believed the EFF needed to be investigated for “strong” allegations that its leaders and the party received money from VBS bank.

READ: #VBS scandal DA opens criminal case against EFF leaders

“What must we do? Say it’s the EFF – I must remain hush hush and keep quiet? No! there is a principle here and it must be applied across [the board], and if there were allegations of corruption against the DA, they must also be investigated,” said Maimane.

“You’re either principled or not principled. Principle is this, no matter what the arrangement is, if you are corrupt, you are corrupt and we must stand up. It doesn’t matter who it is,” the leader of South Africa’s largest opposition party continued.

Maimane said the country deserved to know the full extent of what happened at VBS. Advocate Terry Motau, in his report on VBS, found that 53 people and companies looted the bank to the tune of R1.9bn.

Maimane, referring to EFF leader Julius Malema’s threat to “cut the throat of whiteness” last year before the ousting of then Nelson Mandela Bay Metro mayor Athol Trollip, said because the DA was not engaged in a written contract with the red berets, his party couldn’t call the EFF and ask for it to explain.

Malema complained about the DA’s attitude towards the EFF during the campaign season, saying it felt “personal” to him “because of the way they have gone after the EFF”.

“Their attack on the EFF makes it extremely impossible to even pick up the phone and call them,” Malema said earlier this month.

“The DA logged a complaint over EFF posters in the Western Cape. These are the people we put in power in Tshwane and Johannesburg,” he added.

Polls always been wrong

Maimane seemed unfazed about pre-election polls that show the DA may not improve its performance from the 22.23% it garnered in 2014.

According to City Press, an Ipsos poll conducted between March and April this year puts the party at 15% – a significant drop from 2014. The latest Institute of Race Relations poll has support for the stable DA at 21.3%.

“At every election, polls have put us way down. In Nelson Mandela Bay, in Tshwane they did that, in Joburg they did that. So I’ve been through the history where polls and pollsters say things about us that are not true,” Maimane responded.

According to the party, its own internal poll shows more and more South Africans are buying into its “One South Africa for all” message, which Maimane insists will attract a lot of new voters to the DA.

He also expressed hope that his party would secure enough votes to form a coalition at a national level, with the DA being the strongest partner.

“The future is coalitions at national level. It’s the way the world is orientated and if we don’t achieve that, then we are perpetuating a one-party state and that has brought us state capture,” said Maimane.

De Lille and Ramaphosa

Maimane made his own observations of ANC presidential candidate Cyril Ramaphosa, saying that while he was more favourable than his predecessor Jacob Zuma, the party just changed the driver of a broken-down bus.

“South Africans would obviously reflect on the fact that we had Mr Zuma, now we have Mr Ramaphosa. Therefore, it looks like there is a change but actually for the people on the ground, what has changed? For people on the ground, they feel they are still poor, they are still hungry and there are no jobs,” he remarked.

He compared the change of guard in the liberation movement to Zimbabwe’s own political situation where long-time leader Robert Mugabe was removed in a coup and replaced by his former ally Emerson Mnangagwa. Zimbabwe’s economy and living conditions have not improved much despite the change of leadership.

“We’ve told people our biggest problem is corruption. Yes, it is. But our even bigger problem is that fundamentally our economy is broken and needs reform and the ANC is incapable of reform,” he said.

Commenting on former Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, who once formed part of the DA’s leadership collective, Maimane insisted that De Lille jumped before the party could push her. He said there was no formal employment contract but that all the DA had tried to do was hold her accountable for her actions.

“South Africans are not asking about GOOD, they are asking how do we create more jobs. How can I be safe? How do we get a provincial rail service in Gauteng? That’s what citizens are looking for. [I] think they are put off by people who want to talk about the past,” he said.

Find everything you need to know about the 2019 National and Provincial Government Elections on our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past three elections. Make sure your News24 app is updated to access all our elections coverage in one place.

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News24.com | Can we really return to ‘normal’ after the elections?

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Retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke preside over the Life Esidimeni hearings. (File)

The election noise has been deafening and, it cannot end soon enough. It will die down and life will have to return to normal. But what is normal? And do we really want to go back, asks Redi Tlhabi.

The stage is set for the sixth democratic election in South Africa. Politicians have, as expected, traversed the length and breadth of South Africa, leaving a trail of dust as their luxury cars drive on gravel roads, to see for themselves – yet again – how the forgotten poor live.

We have seen them hug babies, touch the wrinkled, sunburnt faces of the elderly and bow their heads in prayer at church services they normally do not attend. There have also been some inexplicable and unsettling images of “leaders” posing in front of dilapidated homes of the poor and opening fridges in people’s homes to confirm the poverty and lack of fecundity that is the daily reality of many. It was a ghastly exercise of poverty voyeurism.

The election noise has been deafening and, it cannot end soon enough. It will die down and life will have to return to normal. But what is normal? What does normal look like?

To answer that, we need to go down memory lane and reflect on what life has been between the last election and now, and then decide whether we want that to be our normal.

It was in 2014, that former president Jacob Zuma was found by the Office of the Public Protector to have “benefited unduly” from so-called “security upgrades” to his Nkandla residence. For years thereafter, Zuma and his party, the ANC, fought the order to repay part of the money. In Parliament, the party set up a parallel structure to investigate Nkandla spending and unsurprisingly, these processes exonerated Zuma. During this Nkandla debacle, the office and powers of the Public Protector were questioned.

It was the new kids on the block, the Economic Freedom Fighters, whose chants of “pay back the money” shook Parliament and took the matter all the way to the Constitutional Court in 2016. The apex court not only affirmed the powers of the Public Protector but issued a stinging rebuke to the then president and Parliament. It was a seminal moment.

We had barely recovered from Nkandla, when Guptagate crashed into our collective face like a derailed train. We now know that the Gupta family built its business empire by looting state coffers through irregular multi-billion-rand contracts. They did so with the active collaboration of some senior ANC and government leaders. State-owned entities became the stage on which the main actors played and when the curtain came down, a third of South Africa’s R4.9 trillion gross domestic product (GDP) was wiped out.

It is estimated that state capture cost R1.5 trillion over the second term of Zuma’s administration. Those who resisted this seizure of our resources and nationhood, became casualties. Again, the party, drunk on power, went as far as denying this malfeasance and making enemies of those who reported it. Now that the Zondo commission is confirming what was long reported, the party wants to take credit for its creation. But facts are stubborn.

By the time Zuma vacated office, our economy had experienced a steep decline in economic activity. Stats SA reported that GDP had shrunk an annualised 2.2%, the biggest decline in nine years. This obviously spells doom for a country with an unemployment rate that is one of the highest in the world. At 27.5%, it is a national crisis that requires an urgent, coherent intervention, imagination and commitment. Greedy, clueless politicians are anathema to our prospects of breaking the back of unemployment.

Other than unemployment, we have seen our streets erupt with fiery protests over housing and other service delivery issues. Our cities continue to be divisive and framed according to apartheid spatial planning, with poor people and labourers living far from economic opportunities where there is no infrastructure and services. The housing backlog is another crisis facing our country.

In health, we have also had to contend with an uncaring state, whose ambitious plans for a national health insurance (NHI) are noble, but not doable under the current circumstances. The NHI will not wholly solve the long queues at state hospitals; the corruption, overworked health workers, medicine shortages and never-ending strikes. Some of these are governance issues and require a different type of leadership.

Life Esidimeni will go down as a blight on our humanity. We saw first hand how a government can decide to ignore its vulnerable citizens and other stakeholders, whilst it exercised toxic political power. In the end, close to 150 mentally ill patients died from a myriad of ills, neglect and starvation. This cannot be our normal.

Whilst all of this was unfolding, our law enforcement agencies were weakened in the struggle for control and power. Questionable appointments at the NPA, Hawks, SARS and SAPS ensured that wrongdoing, lawlessness and corruption go unpunished. But it would be unfair not to acknowledge the sweeping changes and inspiring appointments that President Cyril Ramaphosa has made. He has been true to his promise to clean these institutions up. But the damage is too great and more must still happen.

Now that we remember some of what informed our lives since the last election, will we let our elected officials take us back to these moments? Are we satisfied with these events being our “normal”? This election must set the tone for what we are not prepared as citizens, to tolerate from all office bearers, all parties. We cannot return to our normal. A new covenant is long overdue.

– Redi Tlhabi is an award-winning author, journalist and talkshow host.

Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

Find everything you need to know about the 2019 National and Provincial Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections. Make sure your News24 app is updated to access all our elections coverage in one place. 

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News24.com | UPDATE: All 1 800 ‘stuck’ miners brought to surface – department

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All 1 800 miners who were trapped underground at Sibanye Stillwater in Rustenburg in the North West have been brought to the surface, the Department of Mineral Resources said on Tuesday.

The department has been using its official Twitter account to convey information about the miners who have been stuck underground for almost 10 hours. 

Sibanye-Stillwater is South Africa’s largest individual producer of gold and one of the 10 largest gold producers globally. 

Just before 21:00, the department said on its official Twitter account that around 1 000 employees had been safely brought to surface.

The company’s spokesperson, James Wellsted, earlier told News24 that the workers were not trapped, but that they were “stuck” after an incident in the shaft. 

According to Wellsted, rails fell down a shaft and blocked workers from exiting after they entered the mine earlier on Tuesday morning. He said the incident happened around lunch time.

At the time, Wellsted also said the situation underground was calm and that rescue operations were ongoing. He added that workers and rescue teams constantly communicated and were safe in the shaft’s waiting area.

No injuries had been reported at the time, he added. 

The incident may revive concerns about safety at Sibanye, which experienced a spike in fatal accidents last year.

READ: 20 deaths so far in 2018: the Sibanye-Stillwater blame game

Earlier this year, almost 1 000 miners were trapped underground in a Sibanye Gold mine in Welkom for more than 24 hours following an electric cable outage during a storm in the area. All 955 resurfaced and no serious injuries or fatalities were reported.

This is a developing story.

News24.com | South Africa govt has nothing to do with Motsepe-Radebe Botswana debacle – Sisulu

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International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has said that she recently travelled to Botswana to deliver a message that the South African government had nothing to do with businesswoman Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe’s reported meddling in that country’s politics.

During a media briefing at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (Dirco) head office in Tshwane on Tuesday, Sisulu disclosed details of the meeting with Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Sisulu was sent to Botswana on a special envoy at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s request after reports about Motsepe-Radebe, who is the wife of Energy Minister Jeff Radebe and the president’s sister-in-law.

Sisulu said the message conveyed to Masisi reiterated the long-standing and excellent relations between the two countries and distanced the South African government from Motsepe-Radebe’s alleged dealings in Botswana.

READ: Botswana revokes visa-free entry for Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe

“The matter that was in the newspaper has nothing to do with the government of South Africa,” Sisulu said.

“The message assured the people of Botswana despite the recent media reports, the relations between the two countries remained solid,” Sisulu added.

The minister said the meeting with Masisi took around 45 minutes and that the matter, as it appeared in media reports, was discussed.

Sisulu also confirmed that Botswana has taken a decision which will require Motsepe-Radebe to apply for a visa if she wants to enter the county.

Sisulu could not comment further, saying the matter would be sub judice because Motsepe-Radebe had launched a legal battle.

Last week, AFP reported that Botswana had imposed travel restrictions on Motsepe-Radebe, despite the fact that South Africans do not require a visa to travel to the neighbouring country.

Local media reports have accused Motsepe-Radebe of funding a campaign to remove Masisi in favour of former foreign affairs minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.

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News24.com | WATCH: Clash of councillors could sink R35m Sasol project

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A clash between a senior ANC councillor and her fellow councillor during a meeting of the Lekwa municipality in Standerton, could lead to a multimillion-rand water and electricity project going down the drain.

The ANC’s chief whip, Mapasekha Molaba, who is also the leader of the SACP in Standerton, allegedly attacked fellow ANC councillor Miriam Khota, who is the speaker of the council, during last Wednesday’s meeting, where Sasol wanted to donate R35m.

The altercation happened in front of Sasol representatives, who were there to hand over a project to assist the council to supply water to the town and stabilise electricity supply.

‘She hit at me’

According to Khota, the argument ensued when Molaba wanted to stop the handover.

“I don’t want to elaborate on her reasons as she is the one who has to answer that question,” Khota told News24.

“It was an embarrassing situation and while I was filming her during the quarrel, she hit at me, knocking my phone from my hands,” said Khota.

When Khota approached the police to lay assault charges against Molaba, she was informed that a charge had already been laid.

“When I showed the police the video clip, they withdrew the case against me and opened a docket against Molaba.”

She referred further questions to the ANC.

A spokesperson, who was only willing to give his surname as Dlamini, confirmed the incident.

“It is very embarrassing for the ANC that the leader who is supposed to see that councillors toe the line, is causing such problems.”

Theft claims

Dlamini said Molaba accused Khota, as well as senior managers of Sasol who were present at the meeting, of stealing money from a previous R40m project – also funded by Sasol.

According to Dlamini, the R35m project will not be cancelled but will only be delayed.

The police in Standerton confirmed that a case was being investigated.

Molaba appeared in court on Monday morning and was released on her own recognisance.

When asked for a response, she said she had “no comment”.

Sasol wasn’t immediately available for comment.