Latest news with #KennyKunene
IOL News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Tale of two cities: A mirror to black African governance
South Africa - Johannesburg - 20 February 2024 - City of Joburg MMC for transport, Kenny Kunene alongside Joburg Mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda led the launch of the rehabilitation programme of Lillian Ngoyi Street following last July's gas explosion. Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers CAPE Town and Johannesburg — two cities, one nation, and a tale that mirrors both the triumph and tragedy of Black African governance. Between April 20 and May 1, I returned to South Africa after nearly a decade away. My last visit to Johannesburg was in 2015, and to Cape Town in 2018. Time had passed, but what I saw on this trip offered clarity that was impossible to ignore. The contrast between these two cities had become stark—no longer a quiet divergence, but a deafening indictment. I landed to find a city alive with order and promise: sleek highways, clean streets, efficient transport, bustling malls, and neighbourhoods that radiate security and quiet dignity. Even Stellenbosch, once a fortress of white privilege, now shows signs of transformation. Today, black and coloured South Africans walk its leafy lanes not just as workers, but as homeowners, professionals, and patrons. Yes, Cape Town has its wounds. Racism lingers in its shadows. Homelessness is rising. Homicide rates remain troubling. But beneath these flaws lies something rare on this continent: competence. The city delivers. Water flows. Lights stay on. The streets are swept. Hope is tangible. 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 ✕ Then I went to Johannesburg. The city where I once lived, built my business, made lifelong friends, and planted the roots of my career. And yet, as I left OR Tambo Airport, disappointment clutched my chest. The cleanliness once emblematic of a world-class terminal had vanished. The facility, built for the 2010 World Cup, looked tired and neglected. The first pothole on the N1 wasn't just physical — it was metaphorical. My driver put it bluntly: 'Johannesburg is in decline. You've been away too long.' He was right. Traffic lights didn't work. Roads were collapsing. Hyde Park — once among Africa's most elite suburbs — looked worn and weary, pockmarked with potholes. Water shortages are now routine. Electricity blackouts are expected. This wasn't mere decline — it was governance failure. It was the slow, painful unravelling of a city once full of promise. Cape Town is run by the DA, a party largely led by white South Africans. Johannesburg is governed by the African National Congress (ANC), a black-led party. They share a national budget, an economy, and a history. But they do not share outcomes. This isn't merely about political parties — it's about us. About black leadership. About how we govern. Why does failure so often accompany us in office? Why is delivering the basics — water, lights, roads — a herculean task? We proudly repeat Kwame Nkrumah's words: 'The Black man is capable of managing his own affairs.' But capability must be proven. And today, we must ask: Have we confused liberation with leadership? Identity with effectiveness? Symbolism with service? But our cities remain shackled — this time by mismanagement, greed, tribalism, and hollow rhetoric. Competence is displaced by incompetence. Institutions crumble as the least capable rise—chosen not for their skill, but for their obedience. Our halls of power echo with the howls of hyenas feeding on the carcass of the state. And yet, we are not short of capable Black professionals. What we lack is the will — leaders who choose merit over mediocrity, nation over self, service over networks of nepotism. This is not about race — it's about results. Not about whiteness, but about seriousness. The lesson is clear. Cape Town shows us what is possible. Johannesburg shows us what is broken. Liberation and struggle politics are over. The new battle is for efficiency, vision, and service. Our youth no longer care who fought for freedom. They care who will fix the roads, keep the lights on, and build a future. Africa stands at a crossroads. Either we rise or we rot. The divide between Cape Town and Johannesburg is not just urban—it's moral. It is a question of responsibility. Of leadership that delivers—not just dreams, but results. We must confront the truth. We must cast off excuses. We must choose standards over sentiment.
eNCA
20-05-2025
- Business
- eNCA
Rea Vaya bus system in crisis
JOHANNESBURG -City of Johannesburg's Rea Vaya bus services is in shambles. According to a new report the city has lost over R300 million in grant funding due to poor performance. To make matters worse, the Reya Vaya bus service has not spent any of its R546 million budget this year. MMC Kenny Kunene says they are dealing with long-standing issues some of which started 16 years ago. Among those issues are delays in procurement for buses as well as the processing of the licenses and permits for taxi's. "Its not an issue of corruption but rather the delivery of these buses," he says. Despite this the MMC maintains that wheels are in motion. He says new gates have been opened and stations are being renovated.
The Citizen
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Here is the deadline for the coming Rea Vaya smart card switch
Rea Vaya commuters will need to purchase a new orange card in order to comply with the upgraded Account Based Ticketing system. Rea Vaya bus service users are reminded to switch out their rider cards before the looming deadline. The bus service will be phasing in the Account Based Ticketing (ABT) system and moving away from the automated fare collection system. The switch is part of a multi-million-rand project to improve the fare collection system, which was implemented to promote cashless operations. New card purchase needed, no refunds The new orange ABT card will be mandatory from 1 July, but the current blue smart card will no longer accept funds from next month. 'Commuters are informed that from 1 June they won't be able to load funds into a blue smart card,' stated Rea Vaya. 'We advise for the funds in the card to be used up as there will be no refund,' the entity clarified. The new orange cards will cost R50 and correspond to newly installed payment processors located at all Rea Vaya stations and buses. Commuters are warned to be mindful of the new system, as they will be subject to fines for not using the new validators correctly. '[A] fare penalty charge of R30 is incurred when passengers tap-in at the beginning of the journey but fail to tap-out at the end of the journey. 'You will also incur a penalty of R30 if you do not tap-out of the system within two hours,' Rea Vaya stated. Rea Vaya Phase 1C The municipality budgeted R300 million over two years to implement the ABT project and R170 million to finish Phase 1C of the Rea Vaya programme. The Rea Vaya routes — Phases 1A, 1B and 1C — are owned by taxi operators and other shareholders under the Bus Operating Company Agreement (Boca) negotiated with the city. The launch of Phase 1C is imminent, after delays in the 12-year agreement sealed with the Alexandra Taxi Association and Alexandra Randburg Midrand Sandton Taxi Association. Rea Vaya has been plagued by management issues, with Phase 1C delayed by the inability to form an operating company, while earlier operators PioTrans needed to go into business rescue in 2023. MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene stated that the Johannesburg Development Agency has assisted with infrastructure challenges and that it now has the necessary resources to deliver. 'The city has invested significant resources in training operators and drivers to enable them to successfully and safely run the new bus operating company,' said Kunene. NOW READ: AA warms of 'significant implications' of underfunding Rea Vaya bus service
eNCA
24-04-2025
- Business
- eNCA
'It's everyone's victory' - political parties fight over reversal of VAT increase
JOHANNESBURG - Political parties both within and outside the Government of National Unity (GNU) have welcomed the scrapping of the proposed 0.5% VAT increase. But some parties are slamming the Democratic Alliance (DA) for claiming credit for the reversal. Among those criticising the DA is Patriotic Alliance Deputy President, Kenny Kunene, who slammed the party's conduct as 'hypocritical.' 'A party of extortionists has failed to serve South Africans on an important matter of national interest. So, South Africans, don't be misled,' said Kunene. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula also weighed in, saying constructive dialogue had led to the withdrawal of the VAT increase while allowing for alternative fiscal solutions. Screenshot enca 'This is not a victory for any single party, nor is it about who shouts the loudest. This is a people's victory, a quiet but profound triumph of our democratic institutions. Parliament acted as the voice and shield of the nation,' Mbalula said. The DA had previously taken credit for the postponement of the Budget Speech in February, blaming the delay on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's failure to engage with its alternative proposals. Despite objections from various parties, the budget, including the VAT hike, was passed. This later saw both the DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) banding together to challenge the hike before the Western Cape High Court, where they argued that both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) had adopted the fiscal framework improperly. EFF lawyer, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, went further, accusing the finance minister of misleading Parliament to push the budget through. The matter continued in court until late Wednesday evening, after that the DA confirmed through an 11pm statement, that lawyers representing the Finance Minister had approached them to propose an out-of-court settlement. The DA said it was waiting for a formal written settlement offer before deciding on a response. Shortly after midnight, the National Treasury released a statement confirming the cancellation of the VAT increase. On Thursday morning, the DA held a media briefing, insisting the VAT reversal was a direct result of their court application and not due to negotiations between smaller parties and the ANC. As political parties bicker over who can claim credit for the VAT hike reversal, RISE Mzanzi leader, Songezo Zibi, said the country now has to deal with a multibillion-rand fiscal gap.
News24
24-04-2025
- Business
- News24
DA under fire for ‘hijacking' VAT reversal win. Other parties accuse it of holding budget hostage
The political fallout over the scrapped VAT hike has sparked a fierce war of words, with Patriotic Alliance deputy president Kenny Kunene and several other party leaders accusing the DA of political extortion and claiming undue credit for the government's U-turn. Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi was also sharply critical of the DA, accusing it of attempting to hold the budget hostage to other political priorities that have nothing to do with appropriation. At a joint media briefing in Sandton on Thursday, Kunene dismissed the DA's court action as opportunistic and late, insisting it was broad-based negotiations — not legal threats — that persuaded Treasury to backtrack. Echoing this sentiment, UDM's Mxolisi Makhubu mocked the DA's self-congratulation as 'a shallow claim of credit,' saying the retreat on VAT stemmed from unified political pressure, not a courtroom win. This briefing followed an announcement by the National Treasury this morning that the government had backtracked on its plan to raise VAT by 0.5% next month but also warned that tough spending decisions lie ahead to fill a R75 billion budget gap. In a statement released on Thursday morning, the National Treasury said: The minister of finance will shortly introduce the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill ... which proposes to maintain the VAT rate at 15% from 1 May 2025, instead of the proposed increase. It said that the move was made "following extensive consultations with political parties and careful consideration of the recommendations of the parliamentary committees." In the morning after the Treasury's statement, the DA's federal chairperson, Helen Zille, released a statement welcoming the announcement. She said: This is a major victory for the DA and, more importantly, for millions of South Africans. This outcome follows sustained opposition by the DA in Cabinet, Parliament, and, most decisively, the courts. Zille claimed that from the outset, the DA has opposed this tax increase, highlighting its impact on already struggling South African households. 'Our urgent court application filed in the Western Cape High Court exposed not only the unconstitutional and procedurally flawed nature of the VAT hike, but also the arbitrary power the Minister of Finance sought to wield in imposing it,' she said. 'The approach by lawyers acting on behalf of the Minister of Finance with a proposal for an out-of-court settlement to scrap VAT marks a critical turning point in this battle,' said Zille. She said it was now clear that Treasury had no choice but to reverse its decision in the face of our relentless and strategic legal pressure. She continued: Ironically, the minister's backtracking underscores the very point made in our court application: that he had attempted to exercise unconstitutional powers to impose or withdraw VAT unilaterally. The DA is currently awaiting a formal written settlement offer before responding to the minister's request, and we will keep the public informed of developments. Zille said that while this represents a significant step toward stopping the VAT hike, the process is not yet complete, adding that a final court order and a pronouncement on the validity of the fiscal framework by the Speaker must still follow. She further claimed that their legal action achieved its intended result. 'When Parliament failed to act, the DA stood firm to protect the public from the consequences of a tone-deaf and anti-poor budget,' she said. 'While others folded, we fought and we won,' added Zille. Kunene reiterated that 'the DA had no moral standing to claim victory.' He said the DA had made its support for the budget conditional on the privatisation of a state-owned port and the scrapping of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act. Kunene said: So the DA was going to vote for VAT increase had the ANC and other GNU parties agreed to be extorted by them. So, when the extortionist could not get their way, they ran to the courts. So, the DA has no moral authority to claim victory for the removal of the VAT increase. He said the DA had not participated in the actual negotiations that resulted in Treasury revising the VAT increase down from 2% to 0.5% and ultimately scrapping it. Kunene said credit should go to the parties that voted for the fiscal framework — including GNU members (excluding the DA and FF Plus) — as well as parties outside the GNU, such as ActionSA, Build One SA (Bosa), and the National Coloured Congress (NCC). He noted that the ANC and the Ministry of Finance had listened to the engagements that began earlier this year and adjusted their fiscal approach accordingly. 'Further deliberations happened, and these parties persuaded the Minister of Finance and Treasury to consider alternative means of making revenue for the shortfall.' He criticised the DA for only 'claiming victory' after the minister's statement was issued. 'The Democratic Alliance waking up this morning after seeing the statement of the minister and claiming victory is quite hypocritical.' According to Kunene, the DA never outright rejected the VAT increase but instead used it to push for concessions that served their political agenda. 'They tried to use it to privatise what South Africans own; they tried to use it to get positions in the GNU, they tried to use it to change what Parliament has already resolved on.' 'So, a party of extortionists has failed to serve South Africans on a very important matter of national interest. So South Africans, don't be misled.' He pointed out that posters and boxes claiming victory had been placed around the Western Cape — governed by the DA — but insisted the legal process they initiated was still ongoing. 'The courts have not dictated to this party in the GNU; therefore, they cannot claim victory.' The DA had turned to the courts in an attempt to halt the VAT hike. Federal chairperson of the DA Helen Zille filed an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court on 3 April, seeking to interdict the increase and challenge Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's authority under the VAT Act. In part A of its application — which was heard on Tuesday — the DA asked the court for interim relief to suspend the implementation of the VAT hike, block Sars from enforcing the increase, and set aside Parliament's reports approving the fiscal framework. In Part B, the party escalated its demands, calling for the VAT Act to be declared unconstitutional and for the VAT hike to be permanently scrapped. Kunene, however, dismissed this legal challenge as an afterthought, insisting the DA was never part of the real negotiations that led to the policy reversal. Kunene commended the Ministry of Finance for listening to the concerns raised by various parties, acknowledging that their objections came from constituencies they represent. He expressed gratitude to ActionSA, Bosa and the NCC for their willingness to engage and vote for the fiscal framework despite not being part of the GNU. 'It shows that they understand that national interests are more important than party political points,' he said. He also thanked ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula for leading the negotiations with impartiality. 'The Patriotic Alliance remains committed to the GNU, and we hope to see a different face, a different composition of the GNU in the future,' Kunene said. But while the DA claims victory in the reversal of the VAT hike, not everyone agrees with their version of events. UDM member Mxolisi Makhubu pushed back against the DA's narrative, arguing that their court action was opportunistic and came only after the party failed to strong-arm its way into influencing the GNU's direction. 'The Democratic Alliance welcomes Treasury's announcement that it intends to withdraw the planned VAT hike. This is a major victory for the DA and, more importantly, for millions of South Africans,' Makhubu said sarcastically, paraphrasing the DA's response before unpacking what he called 'a shallow claim of credit.' He said the DA's urgent court application — which sought to interdict the hike and challenge the constitutionality of the VAT Act — came only after the party failed to extract concessions in Cabinet and Parliament. Makhubu said the Treasury's approach to settle out of court should not be seen as vindication of the DA's stance, but rather as a practical response to sustained pressure from GNU-aligned and other opposition parties who had engaged constructively on the fiscal framework. 'Even Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's own court papers confirmed the intention to proceed with the VAT hike. The backtracking wasn't a concession to the DA; it was the result of unified political pressure,' Makhubu said. He added that while the legal process is still unfolding, it is misleading for the DA to parade the development as a personal triumph. 'Treasury's retreat is not a reconsideration. It is a retreat born of necessity in the face of broader political negotiation,' he said.
