Latest news with #HelenZille
News24
2 days ago
- Business
- News24
Lottery decision: South Africans deserve to know details of SA's biggest tender
There are some things that are totally predictable in South Africa. Jacob Zuma will find a reason to drag out his trial. Helen Zille will say something stupid and inflammatory. Julius Malema will say something stupid and inflammatory. Cyril Ramaphosa will be shocked. The PSL season will end in chaos. And Johannesburg's traffic lights will flake out during the summer rains. There is an argument that societies should be grateful for predictability, as it enables them to plan. If that predictability is negative, then you can work on overcoming the deficiency and, if it is in the positive, then you can work on improvements. But there is nothing good when that predictability is costly and eminently avoidable. This is the case with the selection of the operator of the National Lottery. This newly chosen entity will be the fourth operator of the lottery in the country. Each time the process for the running of what has been described as the country's 'biggest tender' is about to reach conclusion, it is blighted by a flurry of legal challenges. The challengers range from the incumbent to the line-up of fresh bidders who have invested enormous amounts of cash in the expensive bidding process for the eight-year licence that almost literally allows you to print money. The current process has been mired in the same predictable controversy, only messier. After an inordinate amount of time spent making his decision in conjunction with the National Lotteries Commission, Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau eventually named the Sizekhaya consortium as the winner. To underline the shambolic nature of the process, Tau made the announcement just three days before the expiration of the current licence, after being forced to do so by the Pretoria High Court. Judge Sulet Potterill shot down Tau's attempt to delay the announcement by a year while the lottery is run by a temporary holder – most likely a sister company to the incumbent, Ithuba. Saying the process was 'very complex', Tau justified his decision (or indecision) on the grounds that, 'in the past, serious allegations of corruption were made in respect of the National Lotteries Commission and the way the lottery was managed. These considerations prompted me to take a very cautious approach.' Potterill was having none of it and ordered him to announce the winner by yesterday, when Ithuba's licence was set to expire. When he made his declaration, Tau left the winner with just three days to get its ducks in a row, instead of the five to six months it would need. To complicate matters, Ithuba – the only entity with the capacity to step in until Sizekhaya is ready – has been refusing to continue working for the next five months and is insisting that it will only make commercial sense if this period is much longer. With accusations of political bias whirling, the integrity of the process is in tatters. Months and even years of litigation are inevitable. Build One SA and other societal players have called on Tau and the National Lotteries Commission to disclose to Parliament, and therefore to the nation, the records of the adjudication that delivered the final outcome. 'Party connections and insider deals cannot be the order of the day,' Build One SA's Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster said this week.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Helen Zille's remarks on Afrikaner "opportunities" under scrutiny
Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille. Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers HELEN Zille has defended her comments that the Afrikaner community "took all opportunities very seriously" and there was "nothing stopping everyone else from following that example" despite backlash. Zille took to X and wrote: 'Afrikaners took all opportunities very seriously. Educated their children into professional skills and out of poverty. Built huge enterprises from the bottom up. Nothing stopping everyone else from following that example.' Many quickly called her out, citing the racist apartheid system. Approached for further comment on Thursday, Zille told the Cape Times: 'Read the history of Afrikaners between 1902 and 1940, in any authoritative history. They started absolutely poverty stricken and economically excluded, and the story of how they changed that in the ensuing three decades is clear. The historical facts of the transition from poverty to prosperity of Afrikaners is well documented in many sources. Taking offence will not change this.' This comes as the DA has turned to court to challenge the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA), which the party believes will repel investors and discriminate against certain races. Her comments also come as the 2025 Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) annual report showed that white people were eight times their Economically Active Population (EAP) at top management, while the black population representation at just 18.0% is four times below their EAP. The statistics contained in the report forms part of the Department of Employment and Labour's basis to forge ahead with legislative amendments despite pushback from opposition parties, in particular the DA. Employment Equity deputy director, Niresh Singh told a recent EE Roadshow in Pietermaritzburg that employers who are not compliant with the Employment Equity Act (EEA) will be excluded from doing business with organs of state. 'Designated employers must comply with Chapters II and III of the Act whereas those not designated have to comply only with Chapter II. They must attach the certificate of compliance which can only be issued by the Minister for a period of 12 months. The certificate can be revoked at any time for failure to comply.' He told the gathering that the certificate of compliance issued by the Minister will only be issued when the minister is satisfied that the employer has complied with the numerical targets in terms of Section 15A relevant to that employer, if the target is not achieved, the employer must have raised a reasonable ground to justify the failure. Singh said Section 53 has been in the Act since 1998 and was not promulgated then. 'And now it is promulgated and will be in force', he said. General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) president Mametlwe Sebei said it was clear that without any pressure, from the state, 'there's not going to be any de-racialisation of the workplace".
The South African
4 days ago
- Politics
- The South African
Helen Zille dragged for praising Afrikaners: 'Nothing stopped everyone else'
Former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille has been criticised for a social media post in which she praised Afrikaners for their work ethic compared to other South Africans. Nicknamed 'GodZille,' the 74-year-old is known for her outspoken and often controversial views about politics, race, and crime in South Africa. On her X account, Helen Zille questioned the ATM Party's demand for empowerment opportunities for black South Africans. She posted: 'How do they define 'economic freedom'? How will we recognise it? And how does ATM propose to get there?'. In the comments section, many South Africans spoke on the topic of 'white privilege', and how it had put other races on a financial back foot. X user @langalikethesun claimed that Afrikaners, in particular, had been showed favouritism through economic empowerment progammes that aided employment, skills development, welfare services, and companies initially targeting their clientele. Helen Zille clapped back: 'Afrikaners took all opportunities very seriously. Educated their children into professional skills and out of poverty. Built huge enterprises from the bottom up. Nothing stopping everyone else from following that example'. The X user clapped back: 'It was impossible to fail. They had the biggest safety net known as Apartheid. Had they completed fairly with everyone, I'd be the first to applaud them. But nope…they had to screw over a lot of people.' On the X app, Helen Zille's comments about Afrikaners riled up many South Africans. Award-winning social justice commentator Darren Campher posted: 'The caucasity to call a crime against humanity an 'opportunity' is so on brand for Godzille'. Here's what others had to say… @fragrncefinesse: 'Afrikaners enriched and empowered themselves by systematically extracting wealth from the labor and resources of Black South Africans while denying them land, education, political power, and basic human rights'. @CRangataJ: 'There was a system, designed to protect and advance the Afrikaner . Your white inheritance was better than mine, due to no fault of mine. Yet today, in 2025, you want to tell me that we are the same? With your generational, apartheid enabled advantages' @louwbreytenbach: 'Even as a white Afrikaans boer, I can acknowledge how tone deaf this is. Tannie Helen Zille, that you do not honestly stand by this tweet when we ALL know our Afrikaner and white privilege with the history of South Africa?' 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
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
GNU's ‘clearing house' called into question
DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said the party will challenge the Expropriation Act. Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers The Government of National Unity's (GNU) Clearing House Mechanism, established to resolve policy disagreements within the 10-member coalition, has been questioned over its effectiveness by the DA and Rise Mzantsi. Despite the mechanism's efforts to address disputes, the DA has continued to raise issues separately, including its latest challenge to the Expropriation Act, specifically the issue of nil compensation. Recently, DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille described the GNU clearing house mechanism as a "waste of time," stating that it does not work and "everyone acknowledges its ineffectiveness". "What we need is a mechanism in the GNU to implement clauses 19 and 18 (in the terms of reference). We do not need to renegotiate the laws of the game or anything; what we need is mechanisms that implement the statement of intent," Zille said. 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 DA has launched several court challenges since its inclusion in the GNU, including a challenge to the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA) and the Expropriation Act. The party argues that these laws are unconstitutional and will negatively impact the economy. The DA's lawyers will appear in the North Gauteng High Court to challenge the EEAA, which the party believes will repel investors and discriminate against certain races. The party's Federal Council has also passed a motion supporting Section 25 of the Constitution, which states that compensation for expropriated property must be "just and equitable" as determined by a court of law. The DA will pursue a constitutional challenge to the Expropriation Act in the High Court, arguing that it poses a direct threat to the rights enshrined in the Constitution and undermines the country's investment climate. Rise Mzansi spokesperson Mabine Seabe said his party would like to see the Clearing House Mechanism terms of reference finalised, so that the body has full effect. 'The body is only as good as the terms of reference and the goodwill of the signatories to the Statement of Intent. We will continue working through all fora to ensure that South Africa is a better place in 2029 than it is today,' Seabe said. The Good Party's Brett Herron said the Clearing House had only dealt with one substantive dispute - on the implementation of the BELA Act - which was raised by the DA in the first Clearing House meeting. 'Although we dealt with the BELA Act it was not, in our view, a matter that was appropriately brought to the Clearing House. The dispute should've arisen in the GNU cabinet or between the Party Leaders and then be referred to the Clearing House as a dispute resolution mechanism,' Herron said. 'The Expropriation Act has already been passed by the last parliament and signed into law by the President. It's a product of another election mandate. 'If the DA wants to persuade the GNU parties to amend policy on expropriation it should raise the issue in the cabinet or the GNU party leaders forum and if their proposal leads to a dispute or cannot be resolved there, then it could be referred to the Clearing House,' he said. Herron further said the Clearing House was not the place for the DA to reopen debate on policies and laws that it had already lost. Despite the parties' skepticism, the GNU Clearing House Mechanism, led by deputy president Paul Mashatile, has made efforts to address disputes within the GNU. The mechanism held its inaugural meeting on October 16, 2024, where it welcomed the draft Terms of Reference and agreed to finalise them in the next meeting. The meeting was convened by Mashatile, who emphasised the importance of resolving policy disagreements within the GNU. Political analyst Dr John Molepo said the effectiveness of the GNU Clearing House Mechanism remains to be seen. 'While this mechanism has provided a platform for discussion and resolution of disputes, the DA's continued court challenges raise questions about its ability to address the complex issues at hand,' he said. Mashatile's acting spokesperson was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. Cape Times
The Citizen
6 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Embracing the humour in life's chaos
From exploding chip packets to traffic jams, life's small crises are made easier when we embrace humour in the chaos. Life is full of small battles that test our patience, dignity and, sometimes, even our will to live – like trying to open a packet of chips without it exploding all over your lap. Some people call these minor inconveniences, but let's be honest: they feel like full-blown crises in the moment. There's a universal rule in life: no matter how early you leave, traffic will still find you. It's like a jealous ex – you think you've escaped it, but suddenly it's right behind you, flashing its hazards and refusing to let go. You tell yourself to stay calm but five minutes into a standstill, you start over-analysing everything. Why is that taxi skipping the queue? ALSO READ: TV's 'The Four Seasons' makes you think Why is this bakkie in the fast lane? Meanwhile, the car next to you is pretending to be on a very important call, but you know they're just talking to themselves for entertainment. We've all been there – stuck in a painfully awkward conversation with someone you barely know, desperately searching for a way out. Person: 'So, how's work?' You: 'Oh, you know … busy.' Person: 'Yeah, same.' ALSO READ: 'Ma, are you crazy?': Helen Zille's sons react to Showmax Roast Awkward silence as you both suddenly find the ceiling very interesting. At this point, your only options are: make a weird joke that noone understands, or pretend your cellphone is ringing and make an emergency escape. There are few things in life as humbling as assembling furniture. 'You start with enthusiasm, armed with an Allen key and misplaced confidence, only to realise two hours later that you've somehow built a bookshelf that looks like abstract art. The instructions don't help either. 'Attach panel A to slot B.' Cool, except slot B does not exist and panel A is missing. By the time you're done, there are three extra screws lying around, staring at you judgmentally. ALSO READ: Rob van Vuuren brings 'Namaste Bae' to Laugh Africa Comedy Festival You pick the shortest queue at the store, feeling smug about your decision – until you realise the person ahead of you is paying with coins and has exactly one million items in the trolley. At this point, you consider abandoning your trolley and living off whatever is left in your fridge, but it is day three of surviving on mustard and half a tomato. At the end of the day, life is full of these small struggles that make us laugh, cry, and question everything. But if you can find humour in the madness, then maybe – just maybe – you're winning.
