Kenny Kunene had no option but to resign
His party, the Patriotic Alliance also suspended him.
Kunene was initially placed on leave after being found at the home of Katiso Molefe during a police raid this past Monday.
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Auditor-General raises concern over governance failings in northern KZN municipality
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cogta Thulasizwe Buthelezi called to act on Umkhanyakude District Municipality Image: Supplied The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), Tsakani Maluleke, formally instructed KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi to intervene in a northern KwaZulu-Natal municipality, citing serious governance and financial failings. The embattled uMkhanyakude District Municipality has come under renewed pressure after Cogta confirmed that the MEC had received formal correspondence from the Auditor-General requesting immediate intervention following the uMkhanyakude District Municipality's continued failure to address material irregularities. The AGSA's instruction is based on findings relating to the municipality's long-standing non-implementation of a credit and debt collection policy, as required under Section 62(1)(f)(ii) of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). 'The failure of the municipality to implement its credit and debt collection policy for a number of years and to take reasonable steps to recover outstanding debt from consumers is likely to result in a material financial loss for the municipality,' said Maluleke. The AG further noted that 'the failure of the accounting officer to take appropriate actions to address the material irregularity led to a decision by the AGSA's Material Irregularity Committee to approve reporting in the audit report of the municipality.' The correspondence defines a material irregularity under the Public Audit Act as a contravention of legislation or breach of fiduciary duty that results in, or is likely to result in, financial loss or substantial harm to a public institution or the general public. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The MEC has until August 15 to submit a formal report to the AGSA on the steps being taken to address the matter. 'The department stated that the MEC will abide by the AG's request and comply with the given deadline,' a department spokesperson stated. The latest development comes in the wake of a standoff between MEC Buthelezi and uMkhanyakude municipal leadership earlier this month. On July 14, the MEC was forced to break locks and hold a meeting outside the municipal offices after the speaker and municipal manager allegedly blocked his access. During that visit, he announced that the municipality would be placed under administration in terms of Section 139(1)(b) of the Constitution and introduced Bamba Ndwandwe as the appointed administrator. He also revealed that a Section 106 forensic investigation had been launched to probe allegations of corruption and maladministration. After that incident, the municipality responded by rejecting the intervention, accusing the MEC of undermining local democratic processes and acting without due consultation. 'The intervention infringes upon the constitutional rights of the council… and creates an impression that elected representatives are dysfunctional, which is not a fair reflection,' Speaker T.S. Mkhombo had said in a statement at the time. Mkhombo argued that uMkhanyakude had made strides in stabilising governance and finances since the end of a previous intervention in April. The municipality also warned of possible legal action, saying it was exploring a review under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA). However, with the AGSA's direct involvement now confirming governance and financial management lapses, the pressure on the municipality's leadership has intensified. 'MEC Buthelezi holds the AGSA's office in the highest regard and is committed to acting in the interest of the residents of the uMkhanyakude District,' Cogta said. 'These residents bear the brunt of failed service delivery due to a lack of governance, financial, and consequence management measures within the District.' The municipality had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication. THE MERCURY
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US-SA relations strained as leaks unveil mistrust within governments, warns expert
US President Donald Trump's February executive order in February establishing the program specified that it was for "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination," referring to an ethnic group descended mostly from Dutch settlers. Image: AFP US foreign policy expert Michael Walsh has warned that the recent 'leaks' between the US and the South African governments were indications of deep mistrust between the two administrations. Reuters reported on Saturday that US embassy Charge d'Affaires in South Africa, David Greene, reached out to Washington asking for clarification whether non-whites such as "coloured" South Africans who speak Afrikaans qualify for the refugee program for South Africans under the contentious US policy. US President Donald Trump's February executive order in February establishing the program specified that it was for "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination," referring to an ethnic group descended mostly from Dutch settlers. Walsh - a non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, an American think tank based in Pennsylvania - said on Sunday that the US leak suggested that there was unease with the Trump Administration's policy stance on South Africa within the US. Department of State. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Walsh said since reports indicate that the question was asked in an official diplomatic cable from the US Embassy in South Africa, it means there was someone within the US Government who had access to that confidential cable who was willing to violate information handling protocols in order to throw the Trump Administration under the bus. 'No one should take that lightly. Whoever leaked the information in that cable would have known that it would play right into the hands of the Trump Administration's critics in the United States and abroad,' Walsh said. 'In other words, they would have known that it would have led to the characterization of Trump - and by extension the US Government - as racist. That makes it an extraordinary leak. It suggests that there are elements within the US Government who want to undermine the policy platform of the administration.' However, Walsh said what was not clear was whether their underlying motivation was to undercut the refugee program for Afrikaners or the president himself. Either way, he said this leak is likely to elicit a response from the White House and that would be bad news for the US-South Africa relations. This comes as the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs last week passed a bill which seeks to re-evaluate the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa, and identify government leaders who should be subject to sanctions. South Africa is also hoping for the US to extend the 1 August deadline for the implementation of the 30% import tariffs on South African products such as agricultural products, metals and vehicles. Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, last week told Parliament that South Africa has signed a key agreement with the US trade representative, days before new import tariffs are set to take effect. South Africa has no representative in Washington to whom the US government can speak after the expulsion of Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and the stymied assumption of office by the Presidential Envoy, Mcebisi Jonas. Democratic Alliance MP Emma Powell recently issued a statement alleging that Jonas had been denied entry to the US and that the country refused to accept his credentials. Walsh said this leak suggested that there was something rotten in the Government of National Unity. He said the DA has made the US Government and other international actors aware of potential threats to Powell, adding that these threats were being taken seriously in Washington. 'When you consider these leaks, I would argue that it becomes clear that there is a latent parallel that can be drawn between what is happening in the United States and South Africa,' Walsh said. 'It revolves around the internal disagreements that are being waged within the governments over the official foreign policy of the country with respect to the other. 'In the US, that battle is being waged between President Trump and his bureaucrats. In South Africa, it is between the ANC and DA. The leaks manifest those conflicts in a particularly visceral way.' BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
9 minutes ago
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BT Academy coaches resign after Spain fiasco
BT Academy coaches Jesse Julius, Clayton Levendal, Keeno Damons and Jayvin Chrisholm have resigned after their harrowing experience being stranded in Spain without return flight tickets. Image: Facebook The soccer coaches of BT Academy, who were praised for their performance at a tournament in Spain and for supporting the players after they were left stranded without return flights, have officially resigned from the academy. A group of 38, including an under-14 team, an under-19 team, and a girls team, travelled to Spain to participate in the Donosti Cup 2025. The teams performed well and the trip went smoothly, until the final day. When it was time to return home, they discovered that their return flights had not been booked by the organisers, despite each person having paid R50 000 for what was meant to be an all-expenses-paid trip. In a statement reflecting on the ordeal, the four coaches wrote: 'To Brandon Timmy: we are nothing like you. You tried to break us. You failed to pay us. You abandoned us. But in the end, all you did was bring us closer together. We are coaches with integrity, honour, principles, and honesty. The very things you lack. "The brotherhood you tried to destroy is now stronger than ever: an unshakable force of unity forged through adversity. We won the hearts of the nation not through deception or silence, but through our courage to do what you didn't have the backbone to do - stand up, speak out, and protect the children and families you left behind. 'We are emotionally scarred, yes, but we are not broken. And we will not fail the children, the parents, or the people who believed in us, the way you failed them all.' The coaches also thanked everyone who helped bring them home. 'We write to you as the coaches of the former BT Academy, not just to thank you, but to honour the nation that stood up when Brandon Timmy turned away. When we were left stranded in a foreign country, abandoned, unpaid, and emotionally broken, it wasn't Brandon Timmy that came to our rescue. It was you. The people of South Africa, and even strangers from across the globe, who opened their hearts, their hands, and their homes to bring us back. "From those who gave despite having little, to those who sent messages of hope and solidarity every day. You carried us when we were at our lowest. Because of the generous, fearless spirit of South Africans and our global allies, we rise, not with anger, but with resolve, dignity, and truth. This is not the end.' Soccer coach Keeno Damons, who had been with BT Academy for three years, confirmed they had all resigned and submitted formal resignation letters. 'You can't work for someone you can't trust. The fact that he did what he did to all of us, the coaches, the players and the parents. Reality is kicking in for me. Brandon, Jayvin and I had a good relationship. To just throw that away is not easy for me. I have so many questions. What was going through his mind when he did this? It's heartbreaking. I feel betrayed,' he said. The sister of one of the coaches who was allegedly dismissed by BT Academy while in Portugal for speaking out about what was happening, said he is still owed over R70 000. 'It all started when they landed in Spain, there was no transport. They were stuck at the airport for a while. Jesse found transport to take them to the (accommodation); he paid R70 000 and BT paid R40 000,' she said. She added that, along with the other coaches, her brother had also contributed towards food for the group, but he was yet to be reimbursed. 'I tried my best to keep them in good spirits. I'm ecstatic that he is back, these past few days felt like months. It still feels so unreal.' BT Academy did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. Cape Times
