Latest news with #BuildOneSA
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Maimane demands clarity from Ramaphosa on Starlink's economic impact
Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane says President Cyril Ramaphosa avoided the substance of the question entirely and offered a general commentary on whether the exemption or relaxation of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment regulations, which would allow Starlink to operate in South Africa, would apply equally to South African-owned companies. Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane wants National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to instruct President Cyril Ramaphosa to submit a written reply to the question he passed about Starlink and relaxation of black economic empowerment in ICT sector codes. This comes after Ramaphosa skirted around Maimane's question when he was responding during a question and answer session on Tuesday. Maimane asked whether the exemption or relaxation of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment regulations, which would allow Starlink to operate in South Africa, would apply equally to South African-owned companies. When Maimane raised his concern that Ramaphosa did not answer the substance of his question, Deputy Speaker Annelie Lotriet stated that it was his prerogative to answer as he saw fit. 'You can write to the president if you have further clarity,' Lotriet said. EFF leader Julius Malema told Lotriet that she could not say the president has a right and a prerogative to answer the way he liked. 'You can't answer for the president. The president must decide whether he has answered or he thinks he can do much better,' he said. However, Malema and Lotriet got into an argument over the exact parliamentary rule on the matter of prerogative of the president and the response to the satisfaction of a member. This resulted in Malema's removal from the virtual platform. On Wednesday, Maimane said Ramaphosa avoided the substance of the question entirely, and instead offered a general commentary on redress that failed to address the core issue of equal treatment and economic fairness for South African businesses. 'We are of the view this constitutes a direct contravention of the Executive's constitutional responsibility to account to Parliament.' Maimane also said if an MP can be ruled out of order for asking questions that stray from the original topic, then the president, too, must be held to the same standard. 'A response must relate to the question posed. Otherwise, accountability is reduced to a performance, and not a meaningful democratic exercise.' He said the request to Didiza was that she should instruct Ramaphosa to submit a written reply to his question within two days. Maimane also said his request was aimed to 'uphold the principle of executive accountability and ensure that the president does not set a dangerous precedent of evasive non-answers in future sittings'. He added that South Africans deserved clarity on whether government policy was being applied fairly and consistently, or whether multinational corporations are being favoured over local businesses. Meanwhile, when asked at the symposium in Cape Town on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the issue of Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX owned by billionaire Elon Musk, never even came up in the discussions with US President Donald Trump last week despite being there as part of the US delegation. He said the process of having low-orbit satellites providing Wi-Fi and internet connectivity is known in South Africa. 'We have been through that, and there are quite a number of other companies, Chinese companies, European companies, Russian companies, and many others, and local companies who are interested in getting into that space. 'People tend to focus on one company only, and yet we've got a plethora of companies that would want to get into this space. So the environment to enhance or enable investment to happen in that space is precisely what needs to be properly crafted, properly enacted to enable that to happen.' Ramaphosa said Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi, who has proposed policy directives on relaxing the black economic empowerment in the ICT sector, has unleashed a process that was going to elicit a lot of comment from the public, from various key stakeholders, including current role-players in the sector. 'That in itself is going to exhibit the true democratic process in our country, that when something new, something that is topical or even desirable, has to be flighted or implemented or initiated, it's got to be supported by a lot of discussion, by role-players, even by ordinary people.' [email protected]
IOL News
27-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
‘You voted for It, we killed It': DA torches GNU over VAT hike as political parties hit back
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen is adamant that the decision to reverse the controversial 0.5 percentage point increase in value-added tax (VAT) was a direct result of the DA's legal challenge. 'Well, I think it's very clear from the beginning that we were opposed to the VAT hike,' Steenhuisen said in an interview with eNCA on Friday. 'We made it very clear before we went into the vote in Parliament, and now all the other parties have come around to our viewpoint.' He criticised other parties for trying to take credit for the reversal. 'It's kind of like somebody setting a house on fire and then expecting credit when they throw a bucket of water on it,' he said. 'We are in this situation because those parties represented at the press conference yesterday were the perpetrators of the VAT hike. They're the ones who voted for it.' His comments come after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the VAT rate would remain at 15%. The National Treasury said the increase, originally scheduled to take effect on May 1, was withdrawn following consultations with political parties and a review of parliamentary recommendations. Despite being part of the ANC-led Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA has had tense relations with the ruling party, especially after refusing to support the 2025 Budget Fiscal Framework that included the VAT increase. The DA, along with opposition parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), voted against the budget and took the matter to the Western Cape High Court. Following Godongwana's announcement, the DA quickly claimed victory. Steenhuisen insisted the change would not have occurred without the court pressure. 'If it wasn't for the court action and the dreadful day Treasury had in court, where it became clear their arguments were not gaining traction, there would have been no volte-face from the Finance Minister,' Steenhuisen said. 'The Minister of Finance had been adamant in court papers that there was no alternative to the VAT increase. What changed? It was the very real prospect of losing the case.' Meanwhile, other political parties have also claimed credit. uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party secretary general Floyd Shivambu told supporters outside Jacob Zuma's court hearing in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday that Jacob Zuma's party had led public resistance to the VAT increase. 'It's only the MK Party that went to the streets to reject the VAT increase,' Shivambu said. 'While others were trying to discuss VAT in court and in Parliament, it's only us who went to the ground.' Other parties, including ActionSA, Build One SA, and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), said they engaged the ANC directly to find alternative solutions. Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane praised the negotiations with the ANC, calling them key to the VAT reversal. However, on Thursday, IOL News reported that Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy leader Kenny Kunene accused the DA of hypocrisy, slamming the party's claim of victory as dishonest. 'They woke up this morning after seeing the statement from the minister and claimed victory — that's quite hypocritical,' Kunene said during a multi-party media briefing in Sandton. He alleged that the DA attempted to use the VAT hike as leverage to push for state asset privatisation and political appointments within the GNU. 'They tried to use it to change what Parliament had already resolved,' Kunene said. 'So a party of extortionists has failed to serve South Africans on an important matter of national interest.' Kunene further claimed that the DA made demands during negotiations, offering to support the VAT hike if certain conditions were met, including the scrapping of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, and the privatisation of a state port. 'When the extortionists could not get their way, they ran to court,' Kunene said. 'The DA has no moral authority to claim victory for the removal of the VAT increase.' IOL Politics
IOL News
25-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
DA claims victory over VAT hike reversal amid political tensions
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen is adamant that the decision to reverse the controversial 0.5 percentage point increase in value-added tax (VAT) was a direct result of the DA's legal challenge. 'Well, I think it's very clear from the beginning that we were opposed to the VAT hike,' Steenhuisen said in an interview with eNCA on Friday. 'We made it very clear before we went into the vote in Parliament, and now all the other parties have come around to our viewpoint.' He criticised other parties for trying to take credit for the reversal. 'It's kind of like somebody setting a house on fire and then expecting credit when they throw a bucket of water on it,' he said. 'We are in this situation because those parties represented at the press conference yesterday were the perpetrators of the VAT hike. They're the ones who voted for it.' His comments come after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the VAT rate would remain at 15%. The National Treasury said the increase, originally scheduled to take effect on May 1, was withdrawn following consultations with political parties and a review of parliamentary recommendations. Despite being part of the ANC-led Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA has had tense relations with the ruling party, especially after refusing to support the 2025 Budget Fiscal Framework that included the VAT increase. The DA, along with opposition parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), voted against the budget and took the matter to the Western Cape High Court. Following Godongwana's announcement, the DA quickly claimed victory. Steenhuisen insisted the change would not have occurred without the court pressure. 'If it wasn't for the court action and the dreadful day Treasury had in court, where it became clear their arguments were not gaining traction, there would have been no volte-face from the Finance Minister,' Steenhuisen said. 'The Minister of Finance had been adamant in court papers that there was no alternative to the VAT increase. What changed? It was the very real prospect of losing the case.' Meanwhile, other political parties have also claimed credit. uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party secretary general Floyd Shivambu told supporters outside Jacob Zuma's court hearing in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday that Jacob Zuma's party had led public resistance to the VAT increase. 'It's only the MK Party that went to the streets to reject the VAT increase,' Shivambu said. 'While others were trying to discuss VAT in court and in Parliament, it's only us who went to the ground.' Other parties, including ActionSA, Build One SA, and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), said they engaged the ANC directly to find alternative solutions. Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane praised the negotiations with the ANC, calling them key to the VAT reversal. However, on Thursday, IOL News reported that Patriotic Alliance (PA) deputy leader Kenny Kunene accused the DA of hypocrisy, slamming the party's claim of victory as dishonest. 'They woke up this morning after seeing the statement from the minister and claimed victory — that's quite hypocritical,' Kunene said during a multi-party media briefing in Sandton. He alleged that the DA attempted to use the VAT hike as leverage to push for state asset privatisation and political appointments within the GNU. 'They tried to use it to change what Parliament had already resolved,' Kunene said. 'So a party of extortionists has failed to serve South Africans on an important matter of national interest.' Kunene further claimed that the DA made demands during negotiations, offering to support the VAT hike if certain conditions were met, including the scrapping of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, and the privatisation of a state port. 'When the extortionists could not get their way, they ran to court,' Kunene said. 'The DA has no moral authority to claim victory for the removal of the VAT increase.'
TimesLIVE
23-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Taxpayers still paying Covid-19 relief funds to taxi industry: Barbara Creecy
Transport minister Barbara Creecy has revealed that the department is still disbursing Covid-19 relief funds to the taxi industry. This was disclosed in a written parliamentary response to Build One SA (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane's question. Creecy said R408m in a 'one-off taxi gratuity' was allocated in the 2025/26 financial year budget to allow for the conclusion of the disbursement of the 2021 relief fund, which was intended to mitigate the affect of Covid-19 on the taxi industry. 'Due to a number of challenges in the taxi industry, not all operators managed to access the relief fund,' Creecy said. 'As of March 2023, about 56,623 qualifying operating licences on the system were still not paid. Cabinet approved an extension on August 31 2023 to allow that R708m, which was the balance on March 31 2023, be paid out to outstanding taxi operators. In this regard R300m was allocated in the 2024/25 financial year and the balance of R408m has been allocated in the 2025/26 financial year to allow for the conclusion of the disbursement.' In 2021 the cabinet approved a R1.135bn one-off payment to help taxi operators during strict Covid-19 restrictions, when the industry couldn't access other forms of relief. Creecy said the relief is granted to all legal taxi operators with valid operating licences who were in operation during the national lockdown.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crowds demonstrate against gender-based violence in South Africa after alleged rape of 7-year-old
PRETORIA, South Africa. (AP) — A crowd of protesters staged a demonstration against gender-based violence in the South African capital of Pretoria on Friday as part of a national outcry after an alleged rape of a 7-year-old girl. This is the latest protest sparked by allegations that the girl, referred to as Cwecwe to protect her identity, was raped at her school last year and that the matter was only reported a month later. Last week, thousands protested in the city of Cape Town and earlier this week another demonstration took place in Matatiele, an area where the alleged rape took place. Demonstrators were dressed in mostly all-black outfits and held placards with slogans condemning the scourge of rape and violence against women and children. The protesters have called on the South African government to declare gender-based violence a national crisis and impose the harshest sentences on those convicted of related crimes. While the attack on the 7-year-old girl was in November, her mother has recently been speaking out frequently, saying she has felt let down by the justice system. Reigning Miss South Africa Mia le Roux was among those who attended the protests and called on the government to do more to fight gender-based violence in the country. 'I'm here because I want to add my voice to the voices of all these women that are gathered here today because we have decided that enough is enough,' she said. 'We are hearing too many stories of our sisters being hurt, and I want our leaders to know that this is really a natural disaster." Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, deputy leader of the political party Build One SA, said the government should declare a state of emergency and show the political will to deal with the problem. 'We are here to say that the way justice system works in this country is not conducive to curbing and actually killing this gender-based violence and femicide crisis that we have,' said Hlazo-Webster. She also called for the government to publish the sex offender register so that people convicted of these crimes may be known so that women and children can be protected from them. Activist Themba Masango, who leads the organization Not In My Name which advocates against gender-based based violence, called on men to take responsibility and lead the fight. Rape and attempted sexual offenses from October to December last year declined by 3% compared to 2023, according to the latest crime statistics published in February by the police ministry. However, sexual assault and contact sexual assault cases reported increased during the same period. Nearly two thirds of the 11,803 rapes were committed in the perpetrators or victims' homes. A fifth took place in public spaces while night clubs, schools and universities were also places of violence, according to those statistics.
