Latest news with #Maimane
Eyewitness News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Police ministry's budget approved but concerns linger over 'rot' in SAPS
JOHANNESBURG - The budget for the beleaguered police department was given the thumbs up by a majority of MPs in the National Assembly on Wednesday evening. The House is currently voting on the Appropriation Bill in the final stage of the budget process. Every department's budget must be approved for the Appropriation Bill to pass. ALSO READ: • Higher Education Dept's budget passed amidst fiery exchanges between political parties • National Assembly passes several dept budgets despite objections from most opposition parties • BOSA's Maimane wants Ramaphosa to mandate SIU to probe corruption claims within SAPS • Failure to finalise budget will hurt SA's vulnerable members of society the most - Masondo While MPs have agreed on the police budget, claims of corruption and rot in the SAPS ranks again took centre stage in the House. This follows explosive claims by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who alleged that senior politicians had infiltrated top security structures and were colluding with drug cartels. The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Ian Cameron: "The Democratic Alliance remains gravely concerned by the rot in parts of the senior South African Police Service ranks. South Africa's become a hotspot for organised crime, now ranked among the top three in Africa and in the top 10 in the world. We desperately need urgent intervention." While the MK Party also called for urgent intervention, MP David Skosana said that the party rejected the budget. "The allegations against Senzo Mchunu by General Mkhwanazi reflects the kind of rot that sits in the executive. As the MK Party, we want to reiterate that we cannot and do not allow General Mkhwanazi's bravery to fall victim to the manipulation of facts and cover-up by this administration."
IOL News
23-07-2025
- 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
23-07-2025
- 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.
Eyewitness News
23-07-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
National Assembly passes several dept budgets despite objections from most opposition parties
CAPE TOWN - The National Assembly has managed to pass several department budgets despite objections from most opposition parties. On Wednesday, the National Assembly was voting on each of the 42 departmental budgets as it tries to get the Appropriation Bill over the line at another marathon House sitting at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The bill is the law that gives the government the green light to apportion public funds for departments and government services. ALSO READ • BOSA's Maimane wants Ramaphosa to mandate SIU to probe corruption claims within SAPS • Failure to finalise budget will hurt SA's vulnerable members of society the most - Masondo The first vote to come before members was for the Presidency, which was supported by most parties, who also noted how the Presidency was not an implementing department. Patriotic Alliance (PA) Member of Parliament (MP), Marlon Daniels, urged parties to vote in favour of all budgets to ensure the smooth running of government. "Why must we support all these votes? Simply because the appetite to turn things around in South Africa does not rely on one department only, but cuts across all different departments." Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs committee chairperson, Zweli Mkhize, reminded members of the need to support the R410 billion budget, which supports municipalities. "We have to ensure that there's accountability, consequence management, as well as the turnaround of these municipalities." The voting continues and will wrap up once the final vote for land reform and rural development has been passed.
Eyewitness News
23-07-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Parliament's Appropriations Committee stresses importance of economic growth to support social wage
Lindsay Dentlinger 23 July 2025 | 9:29 Appropriation Bill National Budget Standing Committee on Appropriations Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Mmusi Maimane. Picture: @ParliamentofRSA/X CAPE TOWN - Chairperson of Parliament's Appropriations Committee, Mmusi Maimane, has stressed the importance of economic growth to support the social wage, which makes up more than 60% of the national budget. Maimane has also read the Government of National Unity (GNU) the Riot Act, saying it needs to do better in ironing out its political differences before it tables a budget. On Wednesday, the National Assembly hopes to finally pass the last money bill that comprises the national budget, after two false starts in February and March. After three attempts to table a fiscal framework that would meet the approval of all coalition partners, the National Assembly has reached the final hurdle. Tabling a report on the Appropriation Bill, Maimane warned of the ever-increasing cost of social spending, and the need for government to curb wasteful expenditure and root out ghost workers. 'Our inherent problem is a problem of growth. As our economy isn't growing it means we have fewer resources to distribute to your citizens.' For the first time in the country's history, the budget passing has been delayed, and Maimane said that in future, the process needs to be refined. 'Please let us ensure that we've established our priorities, we are clear where our economic reforms, we budget accordingly and create plans that can ensure the budget process is smoother.' If the budget is not passed, it will severely curb the expenditure of national departments to only 10% monthly of the previous year's budget. ALSO READ: Steenhuisen says DA will support Appropriation Bill
