Top 10 stories of the day: Zille for Joburg mayor? Batohi clarifies NPA claims
Here's your daily news update for 8 June 2025. An easy-to-read selection of our top stories.
In today's news update, DA's Helen Zille is considering contesting to become the next Joburg mayor, while Gerda Steyn clinched her fourth Comrades Marathon win.
Additionally, NDPP Shamila Batohi was reportedly summoned to a meeting on Friday.
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ActionSA-ANC slams Zille's plans for Joburg: 'They do not believe in black excellence'
Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson Helen Zille. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said he is shocked by Helen Zille's dream to become the next mayor of Johannesburg.
The DA's federal council chairperson is considering putting her hand up to become mayor of the City of Johannesburg after next year's local government elections.
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'It changes me': Emotional Gerda Steyn delighted with fourth Comrades win
Gerda Steyn winning the women's race at last year's Comrades Marathon. Picture: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
Though spectators might have become accustomed to Gerda Steyn winning ultra-marathons, the 35-year-old runner says she still feels an overwhelming sense of emotion when she triumphs in big races.
Steyn picked up her fourth victory at the Comrades Marathon in Durban on Sunday.
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Batohi clarifies NPA infiltration claims to justice minister amid criticism.
National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi. Picture: Gallo Images / Phill Magakoe
National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi has come under scrutiny after alleging that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been 'infiltrated' by rogue elements.
Batohi made the claims during recent interviews this week although she denied any interference from the executive.
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City of Johannesburg councillor allegedly used municipality's BMW X3 for political activities in KZN, says DA
The all-new BMW X3 in X50 guise. Picture: BMW
The DA in Johannesburg is requesting an urgent investigation into the use of a city-owned luxury vehicle by one of the members of the Government of Local Unity (GLU) for party activities.
The party claims that one of the members of the mayoral committee travelled to KwaZulu-Natal last weekend using the City's BMW X3.
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R6.4 billion for Polokwane
Cllr Makoro Mosema John Mpe Executive Mayor of Polokwane Municipality on 25 January 2022 in Polokwane. Photo: Gallo Images/Philip Maeta
The Limpopo's Polokwane municipality has tabled a pro-poor budget of R6.4 billion, but the municipality's dream of becoming a metro is marred by acute water challenges, involving billions of rands.
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Here are five more stories of the day:
Yesterday's News recap
READ HERE: Top 10 stories of the day: Ramaphosa defends BEE | Batohi under fire | Woman awarded R580k after arrest
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The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Comrades Marathon: No deaths, avoid 'fake news'
There has been some widespread criticism of the chaotic, crowded and poorly controlled finish at the People's Park at the conclusion of Sunday's Comrades marathon. Understandably, there was also widespread concern over the wellbeing of runner Moira Harding, who went missing after the event and is being treated in hospital after eventually being found unresponsive on Monday morning. There have also been some rumours and reports of fatalities during the race, but these have been emphatically dismissed by the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) in a statement released this week. 'It has been brought to the attention of the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) that some digital media outlets or accounts are reporting two deaths during the 2025 edition of the race, which took place this past weekend (Sunday 8 June),' the statement read. 'The CMA and its medical team can confirm that no deaths have been recorded at the 2025 event.' CMA General Manager Alain Dalais warned against taking 'fake news' as fact. 'As can be expected from an event of this nature and size, there were some cases of runners being transferred to hospital from the route, for various medical reasons. The CMA medical, emergency, safety and health protocols are excellent, and focused on the safety of all runners. 'The CMA distances itself from any fake news or rumours doing the rounds, and suggests that our community rely on reputable sources for information – starting with our own channels,' he adds. Meanwhile, the latest update on the condition of Harding suggests she is still being treated in hospital for dehydration and hypothermia, and remains under sedation in order to allow her the best chance of a quick recovery. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
One year on, SA's GNU marked by dysfunction and missed opportunities
A year into South Africa's Government of National Unity, political compromise remains elusive, raising concerns about gridlock, infrastructure decay, and coalition fragility amid hopes for economic reform and unity. As South Africa marks the one-year anniversary of its Government of National Unity (GNU), the country stands at a crossroads—again. The 2024 general election failed to produce an outright majority, ushering in a coalition arrangement intended to provide political stability and economic direction. But has it worked? That was the central question of a webinar hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on Thursday, chaired by Professor Purshottama Reddy, a governance expert. The panel featured UKZN political science lecturer Zakhele Ndlovu, Merchant Africa director Advocate Lavan Gopaul, KwaZulu-Natal Finance MEC Francois Rodgers, and Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh. Ndlovu noted that despite the hope surrounding the GNU's formation, the country remains mired in indecision and dysfunction. 'Eight months ago, I said we were at a crossroads. Guess what? We still are,' he said. He cited legislative stalemates over key bills - the BELA, NHI and Expropriation Bills - as well as a deadlock on the national budget, as evidence of systemic gridlock. 'All these bills passed without DA support, yet the DA remains in the GNU. Some call it capitulation. I disagree,' said Ndlovu, arguing instead that the DA's legal challenge over the budget reflects profound unease. Still, there have been flashes of unity. Ndlovu referenced a recent White House delegation led by President Cyril Ramaphosa: 'Seeing GNU partners speak with one voice gives us hope.' Ndlovu narrowed his economic critique to two flashpoints: collapsing infrastructure and dysfunctional state-owned enterprises (SOEs). 'Electricity and water outages caused by poor maintenance are hurting business. Rail systems, especially those serving working-class routes like Stanger-Durban, have all but collapsed,' he said. He called the cabinet's portfolio allocations 'misaligned,' pointing to Defence Minister Angie Motshekga's lack of military experience. 'Appointments must be based on competence, not political horse-trading.' beg to differ,' Ndlovu said.
Daily Maverick
4 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Musk wants South African rocket launch site and rare earths
New developments since the Oval Office spectacle cast new light on the potential implications for South Africa's critical minerals, space ambitions, and ongoing trade negotiations. Three weeks ago, behind closed doors at the White House, South African-born billionaire Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump found common ground in a much friendlier, extended lunch meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa, which followed an earlier public spat in the Oval Office. While that initial encounter set the stage, a flurry of developments since – including a public and very messy fallout between Trump and Musk – has cast new light on the potential implications for South Africa's critical minerals, space ambitions, and ongoing trade negotiations. As previously reported for Business Day, both Musk and Trump talked to the South Africans about South Africa's rare earths and extremely high tariffs on imported cars. Rare earths are used in magnets in just about every hi-tech gadget on Earth, and especially in electric vehicles (EVs). 'You guys are the largest economy on the continent… and you have minerals we need,' Trump said, according to DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who was in the room. Both Musk and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were interested in South Africa's critical minerals because of the shortage of rare earths used, especially in magnets. Magnets are vital in several of Musk's multibillion-dollar businesses, and he takes an active interest in the location of mines capable of providing the rare earths they require. Though Trump did most of the talking and Musk was almost as reticent in the closed-door lunch meeting as in the Oval Office, both had rare earths and their use in magnets on their minds. At the time, China, the world's main supplier of rare earths for magnets, had frozen exports of both the minerals and the magnets to the US. There have been a few key developments since the White House meeting. This week, China and the US agreed that China's magnet and rare earths exports to the US will resume. The magnet and rare earths freeze was a significant threat to the US, and several product lines had to suspend production in the US, Japan and Europe. You could say Musk got to experience what it felt like to be Ramaphosa or Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. South Africa has a valuable rare earths mine, Steenkampskraal, about 380km north of Cape Town, but its first significant output will not be available until some time next year (2025). Musk also said he was interested in launching SpaceX rockets from the Denel Overberg rocket test site at Arniston, outside Cape Town. Two space experts said the value of the Arniston launch site to Musk is to launch satellites that will orbit over the South Pole, as well as Starlink low-Earth orbit satellites to provide broadband to consumers. In the White House meeting, Musk did not mention Starlink, which has been in the news in South Africa lately, apparently because the South African government has already set up a process to review its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy as it affects companies like Starlink. This week, Communications Minister Solly Malatsi confirmed that the decision will depend on a review process by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, which he first raised in September 2024. The review was announced last month, but no outcome of that process is expected soon. In the three weeks since the White House meeting, Trump and Musk have exchanged extremely harsh words in a fallout that echoed around the world. You could say Musk got to experience what it felt like to be Ramaphosa or Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, though Musk, at least, brought it on himself. Musk broke with Trump by announcing that he 'couldn't stand it anymore', called Trump's omnibus budget bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill – its official title – a 'disgusting abomination', an 'outrageous, pork-filled' spending bill that will 'massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America [sic] citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt'. Then Musk alleged that Trump is implicated in the scandal around indicted alleged paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in prison before his trial. Oops. More directly relevant since the White House meeting is the still uncertain status of US-South Africa trade talks. Then on Tuesday Musk dialled it back with a reconciliatory phone call. Clearly he discovered being out in the cold was no fun. 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,' he messaged. 'They went too far.' Then the two men spoke on the phone. We'll see where that goes. Musk apologised, but didn't say which part was 'too far' – the bill or the hint at a connection to an accused paedophilia celebrity? Musk's objection to the bill is real. Musk believed most fervently in that part of the Maga agenda that would cut America's mushrooming debt. With this bill, that goal has been abandoned and may be hard to resurrect. But what does the Trump-Musk feud mean for South Africa's trade negotiations, particularly in light of these recent developments? More directly relevant since the White House meeting is the still uncertain status of US-South Africa trade talks. Ramaphosa has announced that he will meet Trump this weekend in Canada on the sidelines of the G7 meeting. However, Trump is running the policy for South Africa directly from the White House, and sources in the State Department said nothing from the White House meeting has trickled down to them to indicate that negotiations are under way. Trump has successfully imposed a total blackout on any leaks about what happened behind closed doors. Neither Secretary of State Marco Rubio nor anyone from his department was in the meeting. The three officials who did discuss a new trade deal with the South African delegation are located elsewhere in the administration, and Trump has not yet nominated an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, who normally leads US Africa policy. Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, which is a cabinet position, met the South African ministers in Washington for substantive talks. And at the White House, Lutnick was active in discussing future deals. Trump, who has taken a special interest in the auto sector, raised the question of auto tariffs and directed Lutnick to follow up in his talks with South African Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau. Perhaps the most important implementer of US Africa policy at present, Massad Boulos, who is a senior adviser to the US president, was in the meeting too. The father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, the president's youngest daughter, Boulos emigrated to Texas from Lebanon as a teenager, and spent his career in Nigeria as CEO of a trucking and heavy machinery dealership. He was instrumental in the Trump campaign for Arab-American votes in the election in 2024. His first appointment was as Arab and Middle Eastern adviser to the president, a position he still holds. Boulos, whom Trump singled out in the Oval Office meeting, has been driving US policy in eastern DRC peace talks, and had meetings with the Nigerian president, among others, since taking office. The Denel Overberg test site near Arniston, the brainchild of the Aerospace Systems Research Institute led by Professor Michael Brooks at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, has successfully launched several suborbital South African rockets to nearly 18km, some using South African-made engines. Its last launches used a new six-storey gantry, and it is currently on track to be capable of launching satellites into orbit in 2028. A SpaceX investment could significantly accelerate this progress. More than 30 significant space companies and start-ups are based in South Africa. They collaborate with the South African National Space Agency. Sources in Washington are reluctant to predict whether the optimism of Ramaphosa and his delegation about a trade deal will be justified. South Africa is currently working with international space sector partners in the US, Europe and China. The US and South Africa are partnered on a project to build a new deep-space ground station in Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape. It will support communications for future US Artemis missions to the moon and Mars. In August 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed two agreements with South Africa on cooperation in space projects. One focused on crewed spaceflight, and the other included South Africa in the team for the planned Chinese-Russian International Lunar Research Station. South Africa is also working with the European Space Agency. The trade deal South Africa offered the US included a duty-free quota of 40,000 US vehicles a year for the auto sector and duty-free access for automotive components sourced from South Africa for automotive production in the US. South Africa agreed to buy LNG gas from the US for 10 years, costing about $1.2-billion in trade per annum, or $9-billion to $12-billion over 10 years. Sources in Washington are reluctant to predict whether the optimism of Ramaphosa and his delegation about a trade deal will be justified. Trump was aiming for 90 trade deals with foreign countries in 90 days. That was 70 days ago, and only one outline deal, with the UK, has been announced. More than any president in recent history, the final decision will depend almost entirely on how this president feels about it at the time. DM
