Latest news with #Maimane
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]
Eyewitness News
14-05-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
BOSA's Maimane launches 'Budget to the people' initiative at Parliament
CAPE TOWN - Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has launched his party's "Budget to the people" initiative at Parliament to mobilise and give citizens a chance to make inputs. The party said the initiative would ask South Africans exactly what they wanted to see in the national budget, which Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will table in exactly a week. The initiative will span the next seven days through budget community town halls, including a digital service to canvass South African views. Maimane said that BOSA would ask South Africans one simple question: "What do you want to see in the national budget?" He said that the last two attempts to table the national budget had been marred by "political infighting" and a "deadlock" within the Government of National Unity (GNU), paralysing Parliament while citizens continue to suffer. He said that it was time to listen to citizens and what they wanted to be included in the budget. "We begin and we launch this tour of going around and seeing people, asking them their input in what we would like to call the people's budget tour. It will be a seven-day mobilisation where we will hear from ordinary South Africans about what they want to see. We will be going around asking them." Maimane said that during the initiative, BOSA would be engaging citizens on the party's growth charter, a blueprint for how South Africa can grow the economy at 5% per year. "For too long, national budgets have served the connected first, and the citizens second. This budget is not just a financial document. It tells us who and what the government truly values. Our 'Budget to the people' initiative is about shifting that power back to the people of South Africa," said Maimane.
Eyewitness News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Mashatile, Maimane agree on vetting teachers against the National Sexual Offenders register
CAPE TOWN - Deputy President Paul Mashatile has supported a call from Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane to vet teachers against the National Sexual Offenders register. Maimane appealed during the deputy president's question time in the National Assembly yesterday in the wake of reports that a North West teacher had been fired for having sexual relations with a learner. Mashatile has acknowledged the shortcomings of not screening teachers before employment. Maimane and others for open access to the national sexual offenders' register have stalled over confidentiality provisions in the law. And while the register only lists those found guilty by a court of a sexual offence, Maimane argues requirements for teachers should be more stringent. Mashatile says he doesn't see why this can't happen, given that the government vets those applying to work in the civil service. 'I think we are a bit lax when it comes to schools. We can talk to the Department of Education to ensure that you don't just employ someone you don't know where they come from, and they must take care of our children. I think it's something we can definitely look into.' Mashatile says he's collaborating with the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities to strengthen and improve accountability for gender based violence, particularly in light of the acquittal of Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso, whose sex crimes trial dragged on for eight years.
IOL News
24-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
R408 million allocated for taxi industry relief raises eyebrows
The Department of Transport has allocated R408 million to disburse Covid-19 relief funds to the taxi industry. Image: Picture: David Ritchie Independent Newspapers The Transport Department has announced the allocation of R408 million in its 2025-26 budget for disbursement as Covid-19 relief funds to the taxi industry. This was disclosed by Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, when she was responding to Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane, who asked about the once-off gratuity allocated in the budget tabled in Parliament. Maimane asked the purpose of the allocation, its rationale, intended beneficiaries and criteria to determine its distribution. In her written response, Creecy said Cabinet approved a once-off relief fund to the tune of R1.135 billion in 2021 to mitigate the negative impact of Covid-19 on the taxi industry. She said due to a number of challenges in the taxi industry, not all operators accessed the relief funds. 'As at March 2023, approximately 56 623 operating licences on the system were still not paid,' she said. Creecy also said Cabinet approved the extension on 3 August 20223 to allow the balance of R708m to be paid to outstanding taxi operators. 'In this regard an amount of R300m was allocated in the 2023-24 financial year and the balance of R408m has been allocated in the 2025-26 financial year to allow for the conclusion of the disbursement.' She explained that the relief funds were granted to all legal operators in the taxi industry with valid operating licences and that were in operation at the start of the national lockdown. 'The taxi relief fund was approved as an ex-gratia payment to assist taxi operators to mitigate the hardship caused by the Covid-19 restrictions since the taxi industry was unable to access other relief response packages that were established for other sectors at the height of the pandemic,' said Creecy. Maimane said the allocation to the taxi industry raised serious concerns over transparency, accountability, and the government's spending priorities. 'For a multibillion-rand industry that pays zero tax, this allocation is highly questionable,' he said. Maimane also said the government was handing over monies to an industry that did not contribute its fair share to the country's tax base while ordinary South Africans struggled under the weight of VAT increases, high fuel prices, and rising costs of living.
