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IOL News
7 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
National Assembly passes Appropriation Bill amid opposition objections
The Appropriation Bill easily mustered majority with 262 votes against 90 votes. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers The National Assembly on Wednesday passed several departmental votes despite objections from the opposition parties during a marathon session at the Cape Town International Conference Centre. This was after the first reading of the Appropriation Bill was passed, paving the way for the approval of the full schedule of votes for 42 departmental and entities and the second reading of the Bill. The Bill easily mustered a majority with 262 when the ANC, the DA, IFP, Patriotic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, UDM, Al-Jama-ah, Build One South Africa, Rise Mzansi, GOOD, and PAC voted in favour. The MK Party, EFF, ATM, National Coloured Congress, and United African Transformation voted against, with a combined 90 votes. The Presidency was the first budget to be voted for, followed by Parliament, and then the other departments and entities. As voting continued, individual departmental votes were each passed despite the EFF and MK Party consistently asking for the division of the House. Speaking during the debate, Deputy Minister for Finance David Masondo called on the parties to pass the Budget to allow the national government to spend R1.23 trillion to deliver services to protect the vulnerable and invest in the country's shared future. Masondo warned that the absence of the Appropriation Bill will mean that the government may only spend 45% of the previous year's Budget until the end of July, and thereafter 10% of the previous Budget. 'Our estimation overall by October is that the government will be without authority when we reach 100% of last year's appropriation,' he said. He also said failure to pass the Budget would delay critical priorities of the government. 'We should not prolong or object to the passing of this Bill. It is ultimately the most vulnerable members of society who depend on grants, public schools, and clinics who will suffer the most due to our inactions,' Masondo said. Build One South Africa and Standing Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Mmusi Maimane said the Budget was passed in severely constrained economic conditions. 'Our inherent problem is a problem of growth. As our economy is not growing, it means we have fewer resources to be able to redistribute to our citizens,' Maimane said. He called for improvements in the Budget process to give effect to the timelines of the Money Bill Act. 'I want to urge going into the next cycle to ensure we establish our priorities that we are clear with economic reform, we budget accordingly, and ensure the Budget process is smoother and people of South Africa can experience fullness of participation in the Appropriation Bill,' Maimane said. MK Party MP Sanele Mwali said it was disheartening that the country fell apart and the government prescribes the same economic, fiscal, and monetary policy, which failed to bring change and impoverished millions of citizens. 'Economic stagnation and high unemployment with obsession with debt reduction at the expense of investment and growth, and stimulate new economic activity,' Mwali said. DA MP Kingley's Hope Wakelin spoke against the R700m budgeted for the upcoming National Dialogue, saying the money could be used for tangible projects such as RDP houses, a job-seekers' grant, and free basic electricity for the indigent. 'The people do not want to see R700 million wasted on another expensive dialogue,' he said. He also said spending reviews should be implemented, an exercise that should look beyond reworking the Budget but eliminate duplications, and stop underperforming programmes and political vanity projects. 'These reviews should form part of the 2026 Budget planning,' he said. EFF MP Omphile Maotwe rejected the Appropriation Bill, saying some members of 'the gang unit' were happy to be in government to enjoy the gravy train and were not caring about the country's future. She accused some in the Government of National Unity who previously opposed the same Budget every year. IFP chief whip Nhanhla Hadebe said they were concerned that the allocations did to go far enough to address challenges facing the people. 'While we commend the National Treasury to contain expenditure and limit debt service cost, fiscal consolidation must not come at the cost of service delivery,' Hadebe said. Rise Mzansi MP Songezo Zibi observed that the Budget was not perfect and that South Africans wanted the government and Parliament to work on the available fiscal envelope. Zibi said the executive and Parliament should begin to make choices and prioritise programmes that were more important than others. 'Programmes that support economic growth and employment, safety, health, and education in modern skills are obviously a priority, but even those must be thoroughly examined for effectiveness,' he said, adding that programmes that can't produce evidence of sustainable impact must be reviewed and changed or stopped altogether. The vote on the departments' voting was continuing in the evening after 7pm. [email protected]
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
BOSA's Maimane wants Ramaphosa to mandate SIU to probe corruption claims within SAPS
CAPE TOWN - Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to use his executive powers to mandate the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate corruption claims within the South African Police Service (SAPS). During the vote on the budget of the Presidency in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Maimane said that this would speed up possible prosecutions of those implicated by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, in collusion and infiltration. The House is currently voting on each of the 42 departmental budgets, as it looks to finalise the national budget. During declarations on the Presidency's budget, Al Jama-ah leader, Ganief Hendricks, praised Ramaphosa for taking the lead in government, launching a genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. Meanwhile, Maimane appealed to the president to speed up investigations into corruption within the police. "On behalf of the people, we say, the Presidency does not arrest, but prosecutions will lead people to prison. Let's act now." The Patriotic Alliance's Marlon Daniels used the occasion to slam the Democratic Alliance (DA), saying the party had created a false narrative that it was able to influence decisions around the executive. "There's been lies peddled around by the DA, claiming that they have influenced decisions taken, when we know it's the prerogative of the president. I want fellow South Africans to know the truth." The African National Congress (ANC)'s chief whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, said the budget allocation would help the president to fulfil the statement of intent signed by GNU partners. The budget vote was subsequently passed.
The South African
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The South African
'False prophets': Mmusi Maimane takes swipe at Floyd, Bushiri
Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has taken a swipe at Floyd Shivambu's political standing with the MK Party and his controversial visit to Prophet Shepard Bushiri, a fugitive of South Africa. On Thursday, 19 June, the former secretary-general held a press briefing in which he expressed interest in forming his own party. He also used the opportunity to insult his former parties, the EFF and the ANC. Outspoken Floyd also indirectly threw shade at Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma. With Floyd Shivambu's press conference a hot topic on social media, Mmusi Maimane used his X account to mock the MK MP's headlines. Hinting at his visit to the wanted Malawian pastor, and Floyd's prospective party, Mmusi posted: 'Join @BuildOneSA. We will not Bushiri you'. Addressing South Africans, Mmusi Maimane continued in another post: 'You deserve a political party that does not chase false prophets. You deserve a political party that is not a family business. 'Join the party of ubuntu and professionalism, not umuntu and bushirism'. Throwing more shade – this time at Mzansi's viral drug feind – he added: 'Others, they have Alostro'. Apart from politics, Mmusi Maimaine is also an ordained minister and an elder at the Liberty Church in Johannesburg. The father of three – who has a masters in theology – also regularly preaches at churches around South Africa and around the world. He said of his choice of career: 'Politics is about two things: it's about government and it's about influence…the only way they (Christians) will become in charge of the nation is if the nation votes for them.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Government struggles to account for civil servants in National Sex Offenders Register
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi says although every convicted sex offender was included in the register by virtue of a sexual offence committed, the information contained in it was not disaggregated per profession, gender, or employment. Image: File The government is currently unable to ascertain the number of civil servants listed in the National Register for Sex Offenders. This startling revelation emerged when Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi responded to questions regarding the verification process for public sector employees. Build One South Africa Deputy Leader and MP Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster had wanted to know the number of civil servants on the national register, and asked to be furnished with the breakdown per department, job category, and province. In her response, Kubayi clarified that the register does not disclose information in terms of profession, gender, or specific employment. 'Every convicted sex offender is included in the register by virtue of a sexual offence committed,' she said. 'The total number of individuals who are currently employed in the public sector that are listed on the National Register for Sex Offenders cannot be determined.,' Kubayi explained. 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 ✕ Complicating the matter, Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi stated that his department does not manage or access the national register, which falls under the custodianship of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Responding to BOSA Leader Mmusi Maimane on the total number of civil servants on the register, Buthelezi said the role of his department was restricted to guiding employment policy to departments. 'Departments, as employers, are responsible for verifying employment suitability during recruitment and managing compliance with disciplinary and ethical standards for current employees,' he said. 'The identification and management of individuals listed on the register, such as knowing who they are, where they are employed, and in what capacity, rests with departments in accordance with their delegated authority and human resources responsibilities,' Buthelezi said. Despite the gaps in oversight, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube provided an update on the status of vetting within the education sector. She revealed that provinces have received 35,800 certificates from the National Register for Sex Offenders, out of approximately 84,000 applications submitted as at April 30. 'While progress is being made in this regard, provinces have raised challenges, particularly related to limited capacity within the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the South African Police Service, which may have contributed to the delays.' It was reported in April that out of a total of 405,738 teachers employed by provincial departments, 78,509 (19%) have been vetted against the National Register of Sexual Offenders by the end of March. Gwarube said her department remained committed to ensuring that no person deemed unsuitable to work with children was employed within the basic education sector. 'Through continuous monitoring and stronger interdepartmental collaboration, the Department of Basic Education will work to ensure that the safety, dignity, and well-being of all learners are protected,' she said. Responding to DA MP Delmaine Christians, Gwarube said her department did not have currently detailed information regarding the number of cases of sexual abuse or harassment committed by teachers or staff employed at provinces during the past three academic years. 'This information resides with the relevant employers,' she said, referring to the heads of provincial departments, school governing bodies, and owners of independent schools. Gwarube said it was the responsibility of the employer to ensure that appropriate disciplinary action was taken against employees who engaged in sexual abuse or harassment. 'This question falls under the executive authority of the Members of the Executive Council for the nine provincial Education departments. The member is kindly requested to refer the question to the respective MECs.' However, Gwarube said her department will request all the provincial departments and the South African Council for Educators to provide the information requested. 'This information can be provided once received.' The National Register of Sex Offenders is not open to the public but is available for the public and private sector to vet whether someone is suitable to work with children and other vulnerable groups. Kubayi previously said they were advocating for amendments to the confidentiality and disclosure clauses of the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act with the goal of making the register publicly accessible. 'We have initiated a multi-stakeholder consultative process engaging key experts and institutions to facilitate compliance with the aim of releasing the register as soon as possible.'
Mail & Guardian
11-06-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Maimane: ‘Whether you and I accept it or not our relations with the US are crucial'
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane. (David Harrison) South Africa must strategically reset its diplomatic and economic approach by diversifying its global partnerships while maintaining its critical relationship with the United States, political leaders and academics said at a forum this week. 'Many people ask: why would 'We are net He noted numerous defiant posts on social media platform X that 'the US can go jump' — a response to the fractious relationship between the two countries mainly over what the Trump administration says is the persecution of white South Africans. Maimane cautioned: 'I would argue the fact that before you become so bold about that statement, be conscious about the extent of job losses that a US exit would mean for South Africa.' He said relations with South Africa had not been top of mind for many US legislators over the past decade. 'So the culmination of President Trump is not an accident, it is a function of the fact that I believe as a government we neglected our relations with the US with almost the underlying mantra that to be anti-west is to be progressive. That thesis itself has translated in a number of key actions that have meant in some ways our relationship with the USA has suffered.' Maimane noted that South Africa did not have an ambassador to the US when President Cyril Ramaphosa met Trump in Washington DC last month. '[South Africa] still does not have an ambassador to the US and ultimately our trade envoy who was recently appointed was not in the room,' he said. 'But perhaps maybe, as Africa, we need neither look West nor East. We need to look forward and therefore we need to begin to reset. And this is where I stand with President Ramaphosa on our relations with the US. To achieve that, a number of critical steps need to be taken. We need to reset our diplomatic outlook.' Maimane said Africa's 1.4 billion citizens and mineral wealth would drive the global transition into a greener economy. 'Without a shadow of a doubt Africa will be what the next decade will be defined by and if South Africa begins to think of itself in the context of the continent at large we can then begin to argue a better case about how we engage both the US and China,' he said. He proposed that Brics should include more African states. 'The first reset of South Africa in its diplomatic focus must be the reset of its relation to the rest of the continent. We have an opportunity to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area,' he said. 'The second is that in our trade relations with our US and our global partners, we need to ask the question: how do we develop a fund that is inherently looking at how we improve on capital fund formation in the continent, in South Africa.' Maimane added that discussions often focus on GDP and debt but not on foreign direct investment. 'If we put that at the forefront we begin to put forward positions that hold us as Africans to say 'this is a future of investment'. Africa still has a net positive birth rate. Africa is where your next set of labour, your next set of skills, your next set of minerals will come from, and more crucially, it's a continent that can fast-track industrialisation,' he said. David Monyae, an associate professor at the University of Johannesburg, argued that South Africa should not expend its energy on criticising or trying to understand Trump and the US. 'We know what they stand for, and we should waste no time trying to understand, there's nothing to understand. There is nothing that South Africa can do. We can send the best of the best brains. We can develop views of countering and reset or terms that we put. We're just wasting our time,' he said. 'Their foreign policy and ours are worlds apart. It is anti-diversity. It is anti all we stand for in foreign policy. I'm not saying we should abandon the United States. The United States remains the most important country in the world, a number one trading partner in so many areas of our goods getting into the United States. We have a rich history with the African diaspora, even in the anti-apartheid struggle. 'We cannot convince them to abandon their own view on us, but what we can do is to craft ours and adjust it to ensure we lessen the dependence on key areas. We need to find alternative trade,' he said. Monyae recommended that South Africa explore new markets such as Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Latin America and others, while still holding discussions with the US and China. This required technical skills, negotiation, understanding and unity so that regardless of which political party a leader belonged to, they should 'speak with one voice' on the global stage, he said. 'We cannot continue to be bogged down in slogans, singing, kill this and kill that [a reference to the debate regarding the controversial 'We must ensure the youth understand the fourth industrial revolution, understand Starlink and there are so many other satellite-based communication systems. How can we engage them for development, also understanding the security risk that goes with this? Satellite internet company Citing the war in Ukraine, Monyae said such satellite-based systems were not just used for communication. 'We saw what's happening in the Ukraine War, that they're not just communication. They communicate with weapons. They are used to undermine sovereignty. They are used to undermine and advance agendas other than our own. What kind of policies are we putting in place to protect our digital sovereignty?' he said. Zamokuhle Mbandlwa, a professor at the Durban University of Technology's department of public management and economics, said South Africa could not afford a bad relationship with the US, noting that the latter's withdrawal of financial support was affecting patients in the health sector who could not get treatment. 'A lot of people will suffer if we don't mend our relationship between us and the US,' Mbandlwa said. The acting director of the Centre for Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution at Nelson Mandela University, Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, said South Africa tended to punch above its weight. 'I think the straw that broke the camel's back between us and [the US] was the grievance that we instituted against Israel,' he said, referring to South Africa's 'I do appreciate the fact that what is happening between Hamas and Israel is a violation of human rights,' Breakfast said, but added: 'If we had done that in good faith, then the question that begs is, why do we apply double standards? There is a conflict which is under way between Russia and Ukraine. We say we are neutral but [not] with regard to the conflict between Hamas and Israel. 'What is happening in the Gaza Strip is out of line, it is a violation but the point I'm making is that if, if you've got a principle and you stand by that, then you've got to apply it across the board, you can't chop and change and say, in this case, no, you're neutral.' He called for broader economic strategies and the diversification of the country's export partners to grow its market share in Africa and in countries like Russia, China, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
