Leaders of South Africa's DA to Meet on Future of ANC Coalition
'The federal executive will meet tonight or tomorrow morning, and we will decide on that,' party spokesman Willie Aucamp said in an interview on Newzroom Afrika. 'We cannot enable the ANC to keep on with the looting,' he said, referring to the African National Congress, the country's largest party.
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News24
2 days ago
- News24
Minister defends SANDF chief; Ellis Park not sold out for Boks: Top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. Graphic: Sharlene Rood News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. 'There is nothing rogue': Motshekga defends Maphwanya's Iran visit and comments - Defence Minister Angie Motshekga defended General Rudzani Maphwanya's Iran visit, stating it was pre-approved and not a rogue action, attributing the backlash to US-Iran sensitivities. - Maphwanya's comments about Iran and South Africa being 'anti-colonial allies' caused diplomatic tension, with the Presidency and ANC distancing themselves and calling the trip 'ill-advised'. - Motshekga argued similar trips to other nations didn't face scrutiny, and the issue is the US-Iran relationship and tariff negotiations, not Maphwanya's actions. President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned those who opted out of the first National Convention of the National Dialogue that they could regret it. Thahasello Mphatsoe/News24 Ramaphosa tells National Dialogue absentees that they'll regret not 'being part' of process - President Cyril Ramaphosa subtly criticised those absent from the National Dialogue, including former president Thabo Mbeki, suggesting they might later regret their non-participation. - Ramaphosa defended the dialogue's nonpartisan nature and pledged to minimise costs by avoiding expensive venues. - He referenced the PAC's historical reluctance to engage in dialogues, suggesting those currently abstaining may eventually realise the value of participation. 'There's no hope': Unpaid salaries push 14 bus company workers to take their own lives - State-owned bus companies in North West, under business rescue since 2022, have seen their debt surge from R355 million to R1 billion, leading to months of unpaid salaries for employees. - The dire financial situation has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, with at least 14 employees committing suicide and one starving to death, alongside home repossessions and loss of vehicles. - Legal battles between business rescue practitioners over financial mismanagement and unauthorised accounts are delaying the payment of salaries, leaving 1 500 employee families in desperate circumstances. Minister plans biggest shakeup of municipalities since 1996 - Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa is planning a major overhaul of South Africa's local government system, including reducing the number of municipalities and changing the funding model. - The new White Paper on local government, expected in March 2026, will propose policy changes such as tighter conditions on infrastructure grants and increased powers for national intervention in failing municipalities. - Hlabisa aims to improve financial management in municipalities by withholding equitable share funding from those that cannot account for their finances or enforce consequences for financial mismanagement. Gallo Images/ER Lombard 'Utterly astounded': Court grants Old Mutual access to firm's office after shock revelations - Old Mutual won a court order to access and copy data at SA Guarantee Specialists (SAGS) after discovering unauthorised foreign guarantees issued in its name, totalling over a billion rand. - SAGS, an underwriting manager, issued the guarantees despite being restricted to administering insurance within South Africa under its agreement with Old Mutual Alternative Risk Transfer Insure (Omart). - The court order allows Old Mutual's forensic team to enter SAGS' offices, by force if necessary, to copy data related to the guarantees, with a temporary suspension to encourage a voluntary agreement between the parties. Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images Ellis Park not sold out for Boks v Wallabies, but SA Rugby boss satisfied - SA Rugby says they've met their projected crowd targets for the Springboks vs Wallabies match at Ellis Park, despite tickets still being available. - High ticket prices for Springbok games have been a topic of debate, with previous matches against Italy and Georgia also not selling out. - SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said they worked on an 85% capacity target and have exceeded it, and will review their programme for future seasons. DRIVEN | Adriaan Basson sizes up the Hilux GR-S in the Kruger - and compares it to a Ford - A former Hilux mega-fan tested the new Toyota Hilux GR-S III, hoping to rekindle his love for the brand after being impressed by a Ford Ranger Wildtrak X the previous year. - While the Hilux GR-S has a sporty exterior and a reliable engine, the author found its multimedia system outdated and lacking features compared to competitors like Ford. - Despite some technological shortcomings, the author still appreciates the Hilux's trustworthiness and overall build quality, acknowledging its enduring appeal. Show Comments ()
News24
4 days ago
- News24
ActionSA, FF Plus, latest to pull out of National Dialogue convention, but civil society says event will go ahead
ActionSA and Freedom Front Plus withdraw from the National Dialogue convention starting on 15 August. Parties cite concerns over credibility, governance and ANC's role, with both sending only observers instead. President Ramaphosa insists the convention will go ahead, insists dialogue's success will be judged by its long-term outcomes. The National Dialogue convention, scheduled to start on Friday, has received another blow, with ActionSA and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) confirming they will not participate. The withdrawals add to growing skepticism about the dialogue's credibility, following an earlier boycott by the DA and the withdrawal of six legacy foundations from the convention's preparatory structures. However, on Monday, Boichoko Ditlhake, the chairperson of the national convention, a part of the National Dialogue, said the event will not be impacted by the withdrawals. Ditlhake said: 'In a nutshell, there's no impact and there will be no impact. There are organisations in society which came on board strongly and demonstrated that South Africans can rise if the need arises.' Ditlhake is from the Kagiso Trust and is part of civil society. 'As the convention organising committee, our task is to ensure that the National Dialogue process is handed over to a broadly representative steering committee that will be established at the first National Convention. There is no need for unnecessary delays,' he added. ActionSA: Concerns unresolved, will send observers In a statement on Wednesday, ActionSA said it remained unconvinced that concerns raised by key stakeholders and the public had been addressed. The party criticised what it described as an 'insistence on forging ahead despite serious, unresolved questions, particularly regarding the lawful appropriation of the budget'. 'Consequently, ActionSA will not participate in or lend legitimacy to a process under these circumstances,' the statement read. Instead, the party will deploy two senior MPs, Kgosi Letlape and Lerato Ngobeni, to attend the convention purely in an observation capacity, with all travel and accommodation costs covered personally. Our representatives will travel, be accommodated and catered for at their personal cost, and will attend this weekend's convention with the sole mandate of delivering a critical assessment of whether this process will serve as a meaningful platform for reform or is merely an electioneering exercise that misappropriates public funds under the guise of public participation. ActionSA The party stressed that the dialogue was not solely an ANC initiative, but a commitment made by all government of national unity (GNU) parties. 'These parties now refuse to take responsibility for the process… leaving a void that demands scrutiny,' it said. READ: Foundations still part of National Dialogue, just not part of 15 August gathering, says Ramaphosa Gallo Images/Beeld/Deaan Vivier FF Plus: Dialogue needed, but not with ANC at the helm FF Plus leader Corne Mulder said the party believed dialogue is essential, but accused the ANC of being incapable of leading a credible process. Unfortunately, it has become abundantly clear that the ANC, as the largest party in the GNU, is not ready to have a genuine, reasoned and solution-oriented dialogue. Corne Mulder He cited recent ANC statements reaffirming its controversial economic and foreign policy positions, including BEE, expropriation without compensation, and race-based legislation, as evidence of an unwillingness to change course. 'A political party with such a mindset… cannot act as a credible facilitator for the Presidency or a participant in a national dialogue,' he said. The FF Plus has also opted to send only an observer, its CEO Pieter de Necker, to monitor the proceedings. Mulder suggested that 'an honest national dialogue' should take place without the ANC and invited other GNU parties to collaborate on practical solutions that prioritise the country's interests. Wider political scepticism The boycott by ActionSA and the FF Plus adds to an already crowded field of sceptics. The DA has refused to participate in either the first national convention or the broader dialogue process. The EFF and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party have dismissed the initiative entirely, with the parties labelling it a 'publicity stunt'. Their concerns echo those raised last week by the six legacy foundations representing the legacies of Steve Biko, Thabo Mbeki, Chief Albert Luthuli, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo, FW de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond and Leah Tutu. The foundations accused the presidency of undermining the dialogue's citizen-led character, pushing ahead with a poorly prepared convention and risking a 'symbolic rather than substantive' event. They also cited funding delays, alleged governance misalignment and fears of potential violations of the Public Finance Management Act due to emergency procurement processes. READ: Ramaphosa's national dialogue slammed as 'meaningless', 'elitist farce' by opposition Ramaphosa unfazed President Cyril Ramaphosa has sought to downplay the withdrawals, insisting last week that the first convention would proceed as planned on 15 August. 'The withdrawal of the foundations is not a train smash. The dialogue is going to go ahead,' Ramaphosa said. 'What mattered was the outcome, which will chart a very clear path to where our country should be going in the next 30 years and more.' Ramaphosa confirmed that the convention will elect a steering committee to oversee the rollout planned of community and sectoral dialogues nationwide, as part of a multi-year process to develop a new social compact. A dialogue in doubt The National Dialogue was first proposed by former president Mbeki ahead of last year's general elections, to build consensus on tackling SA's deep-rooted challenges, from inequality to broken state institutions. However, with key opposition parties, influential foundations and civil society voices now sitting out the first convention, the initiative faces an uphill battle to maintain credibility and inclusivity.
News24
5 days ago
- News24
FF Plus is the latest party to pull out of the National Convention
The FF Plus announced it won't participate in the National Convention starting Friday, meant to frame the upcoming National Dialogue. The party's leader, Corné Mulder, said the ANC has lost the credibility to be the dialogue's guardian or to participate in it due to its refusal to change its transformation policies. The FF Plus urged other GNU partners to collaborate on a dialogue without the ANC, focusing on practical solutions for South Africans. Another GNU partner is giving the National Dialogue the cold shoulder. The FF Plus announced on Tuesday that it would not attend the 'ANC's planned National Convention' scheduled to start on Friday. The National Convention is meant to lay the groundwork for the larger National Dialogue. Previously, after President Cyril Ramaphosa axed DA member Andrew Whitfield as a deputy minister, the DA withdrew from the whole National Dialogue, citing its cost, being a ' talk shop', and the ANC's election campaign. On Friday, legacy foundations including the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, which has long been advocating for a national dialogue, indicated that they would withdraw from the National Convention and preparatory task team. In a statement, FF Plus leader Corné Mulder said his party believes that a meaningful, thoughtful, and solution-driven dialogue is necessary in South Africa, and it would participate in such. READ | Task team assures legacy foundations' withdrawal won't impact National Convention 'Unfortunately, it has become crystal clear that the ANC - the biggest party in the government of national unity (GNU) - is not ready for a truly thoughtful, solution-driven dialogue,' said Mulder. He noted that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, on behalf of the ANC's national executive committee, confirmed that it has no intention of forsaking its 'failed economic and foreign policy'. 'These failed policies are forced upon South Africa, disadvantaging everyone, in the name of transformation,' he said. He said a party with this attitude can't be a credible guardian, through the Presidency, or participant in a national dialogue. According to Mulder, last year's election results show that South Africans have lost trust in the ANC and no longer want it to govern alone. Mulder said: 'This was an opportunity for the ANC to prove itself by engaging all stakeholders in South Africa in conversation. This was the opportunity for the ANC to show everybody in South Africa that it has learned from its mistakes and to acknowledge that its policies are obsolete.' He said perhaps the time has come for a truly national dialogue, without the ANC. He said the FF Plus invites all other parties in the government of national unity (GNU) to work together on practical solutions that put the interests of South Africans first. The FF Plus tasked its CEO, Pieter de Necker, to attend the national convention as an observer. Apart from GNU partners, the DA and now the FF Plus, breaking ranks, several opposition parties, notably the MKP and EFF, have also been highly critical of the National Dialogue. On Friday, after the foundations announced their withdrawal, ActionSA indicated that it would reconsider its participation in the National Convention. Briefing the media on Monday, chairperson of the National Convention planning committee, Boichoko Ditlhake, indicated that two political parties had declined an invitation to the convention this weekend. He did not mention the political parties, but it is now apparent that it is the DA and the FF Plus.
