Latest news with #Mashaba
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
The honeymoon is over: ANC and ActionSA's marriage turns 'toxic'
Morero is accused of not consulting his coalition partners on the budget and on his state of the city address. Just a few months after ActionSA helped ANC regional chairperson Dada Morero become the mayor of Johannesburg, the party has described its relationship with Morero as 'toxic'. This comes after Morero allegedly ignored ActionSA's concerns over the 2025/2026 budget, despite ActionSA being considered a coalition partner in the governing of Johannesburg. Morero is accused of lobbying smaller parties to vote in favour of a controversial R89 billion budget that has been described as anti-poor and flawed. Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, Mashaba said the passing of the budget is a sign that Morero no longer needs support from ActionSA. 'He has shown us that he does not need us but we will not become voting cows to serve his agenda,' he said. Mashaba said he had complained to the ANC provincial task team about Morero's questionable leadership in Johannesburg. This includes the appointments of tainted individuals to powerful positions and unethical behaviour. 'He is failing the residents of Johannesburg; he does not appoint people on the basis of merit. For him to tell me that he appointed the MMC of finance because he wants to control her is shocking. 'I have made the ANC aware of these things and they are also concerned,' he said. Motion of no confidence Mashaba said ActionSA had not decided which way it would vote when Morero faces a motion of no confidence vote next month. 'We will take the next step as it comes. He does not need our vote, it is clear that he has his partners that will protect him,' he said. The DA and the African Democratic Christian Party (ACDP) have already indicated that they will vote in favour of the motion. Will ActionSA take the opposition benches? Meanwhile, Mashaba said even though ActionSA occupies the speaker position in the legislature, the party will not support questionable decisions by the mayor just to keep the position. 'We did not beg or ask anyone to give us the speaker position. If they decide that they do not want us, that decision is not ours. 'They are the ones who approached us to give us the position. If they gave us the position to soften us to become voting cattle, then they made a big mistake,' he said. Mashaba said ActionSA will continue to use its position in the legislature to hold Morero's administration accountable. 'We will hold them accountable officially as long as we run the legislature,' he said. Local government elections He said the party still hopes to boot the ANC out of power in the upcoming local government elections next year. 'What we need to work on is to ensure that residents of Johannesburg vote ActionSA into power and remove the ANC. 'Residents cannot keep empowering the ANC, we have demonstrated that where we govern, we always act in the best interests of our residents,' he said. Mashaba said it is unlikely that the ANC would remove ActionSA from the legislature, as negotiations for that position had taken place at the provincial level. ALSO READ: Joburg's new city manager? Botes is a bad choice, says DA Mashaba's soft spot for Joburg The Citizen sent questions to the ANC in Johannesburg and Morero spokesperson Chris Vondo about tensions with ActionSA. There had been no response at the time this article was published. Meanwhile, Ntsikelelo Breakfast a political analyst from Nelson Mandela University (NMU) told The Citizen that Mashaba had leaned towards a relationship with the ANC despite challenges along the way to avoid working with the DA. 'One could say ActionSA is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The reason that this party was started wa because of the discontent that Mashaba had with the DA. 'So instead of Mashaba gravitating to a party that made him have a broken heart I think he chose to work with the ANC which was a surprise because ActionSA has always said they will never work with the ANC because the ANC is corrupt,' he said. Breakfast said it is clear that Mashaba has a soft spot for Johannesburg because he had been mayor before and perhaps wanted to preserve his legacy. NOW READ: How Joburg plans to spend R89 billion
The Citizen
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Joburg budget hanging by a thread: ANC fights to get their way as partners gun for them
All eyes will be on Thursday's budget debate and vote Johannesburg City Council meeting at the Connie Bapela House in Braamfontein. Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen Coalition partners in the City of Johannesburg have expressed outrage at the latest budget, putting it at risk of not being passed in council. Finance MMC Margaret Arnolds on Wednesday presented the City's R89 billion plan to boost service delivery and increase revenue collection. The presentation contained proposals for increase in tariffs for water and wastewater, electricity, and property rates, among other charges. The City also maintained a R200 surcharge that remains a thorny issue among coalition partners. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said one of the reasons his party supported mayor Dada Morero was that the ANC had agreed to scrap the burdensome surcharge. He claimed he was told it would not be in the latest budget, only to be surprised by its inclusion this week. 'This charge punishes low-income residents who rely on prepaid meters to avoid debt, with no published cost-of-supply to justify it. While the proposed increase to R270 was dropped, the core injustice persists,' he said. Will ActionSA block the budget? He claimed not to have been consulted on the budget and would make his feelings known when council votes on passing the fiscal framework on Thursday. 'We will never vote in favour of a budget that sustains unjust charges on the poor, enables financial mismanagement, or ignores basic service delivery failures. 'We stand with the people of Johannesburg, and we vote accordingly,' he said. How many votes does the ANC need to pass budget? There are 270 seats in council. The ANC would need 136 votes to pass the budget. Below is the breakdown of seats by party in the City. African National Congress (ANC): 91 seats 91 seats Democratic Alliance (DA): 71 seats 71 seats ActionSA: 44 seats 44 seats Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF): 29 seats 29 seats Patriotic Alliance (PA): 8 seats 8 seats Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP): 7 seats 7 seats Freedom Front Plus (VF PLUS): 4 seats 4 seats African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP): 3 seats 3 seats Al Jama-ah (ALJAMA): 3 seats 3 seats African Independent Congress (AIC): 2 seats 2 seats African Heart Congress (AHC): 1 seat 1 seat African People's Convention (APC): 1 seat 1 seat African Transformation Movement (ATM): 1 seat 1 seat Congress of the People (COPE): 1 seat 1 seat GOOD: 1 seat 1 seat Pan Africanist Congress (PAC): 1 seat 1 seat United Democratic Movement (UDM): 1 seat 1 seat United Independent Movement (UIM): 1 seat While ActionSA voted with the government of local unity (GLU) coalition to bring Morero to power, Mashaba said the party only votes with the ANC on an issue-by-issue basis. There were talks that one day ActionSA would be included in the governance structures of the city, but for now, they only occupy positions in the legislature. Morero running a puppet council? Mashaba said he had lost faith in Morero's leadership, and claimed he was running a puppet council. He claimed to have reported the mayor to the ANC's mother body for allegedly saying that he had appointed Arnolds to control her. 'I know Margaret, you could see she did not understand what she was reading. Dada told me he had appointed her because he could control her,' he said. The Citizen has reached out to Morero's office, the ANC in Johannesburg, and the City of Johannesburg for comment on this claim. Any update will be included once received. GLU partner slams budget The African People's Convention (APC) also disapproves of the budget. 'Only a mere R3 billion is allocated to the poor communities. This budget does not speak to the needs and expectations of the previously disadvantaged communities who continue to live in squalor conditions whilst the city prioritizes the affluent areas of the metropole. 'It does not effectively address the common crime in the CBD, nor does it address the continued shortage of water supply in Joburg,' said the party in a statement. It said it would adopt the budget with reservations and raise the issues it has within the council. Parties outside of GLU won't vote for budget either The second biggest party in the council, after the ANC, the DA was also expected to vote against the budget. They will be joined by African Democratic Christian Party (ACPD). ACDP councillor Norman Mkhonza told The Citizen the allocations in the budget were 'all over the place'. He also questioned the City's ambitions to put sewage pipes and electricity in informal settlements. 'So, are they saying is they are promoting illegality. Do they know who stays in these informal settlements and if those people are even legal in the country,' he said. ALSO READ: DA tables motion of no confidence in Johannesburg mayor and speaker No budget could spell disaster for the City Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast told The Citizen that in a coalition all members should be consulted on matters. 'When there is power sharing, it means that there is no political party that has won elections. Therefore, there must be a consensus across the spectrum. 'If this does not happen, it means it is a serious omission that might cause a serious threat to the stability of the municipality,' he said. Breakfast warned that if the municipality takes time to adopt the budget, it could affect service delivery in the City. NOW READ: How Joburg plans to spend R89 billion
IOL News
28-05-2025
- IOL News
‘Arrested girls lied about their ages': Police say suspects with stolen Toyota Hilux are minors
Police in Limpopo arrested two teenage girls for possession of a stolen Toyota Hilux GD-6 in Limpopo, while a third occupant of the vehicle escaped on foot. IOL has withheld the names and pictures of the teenagers are withheld to protect the minors' identities. Image: File/SAPS Police in Limpopo have established that two suspects who were arrested and charged for possession of a stolen Toyota Hilux bakkie are minors, who must be charged under the Child Justice Act. On Tuesday, IOL reported that provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the two young women who are in police custody were aged 19 and 20. However, on Wednesday night, Mashaba told IOL that after the story was published, parents of the arrested came forward with birth certificates proving that the two are girls aged 15 and 16. 'On the two ladies, further investigation has revealed that they gave incorrect ages during the arrest. After their families saw their pictures on a released media statement, they came forward and the birth certificates show they are minors aged 15 and 16,' said Mashaba. 'They were supposed to be charged under the Child Justice Act. They will now be placed in a place of safety, while they remain in police custody.' Mashaba said the date for the girls to return to court will be announced in due course. 'I'm still waiting for the remand date,' he said. IOL has withheld the names and pictures of the arrested teenagers, to protect the identity of the children. 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 ✕ Last week, IOL reported that provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the vehicle was intended to be driven across the Beitbridge port of entry into neighbouring Zimbabwe on 18 May 2025. 'In a coordinated anti-smuggling operation involving SAPS Anti-Smuggling Team, Tshimollo Security and Investigation, and Reflex Anti-Hijacking Security, the officers intercepted a Toyota Hilux GD-6 double cab on the R101 near Polokwane weighbridge,' said Mashaba after the arrest of the duo. 'During the stop, one male suspect fled into nearby bushes, while two female suspects attempted to escape but were apprehended after a foot chase,' said Mashaba. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Preliminary police investigations have so far revealed that the Toyota Hilux GD-6 was stolen on Friday, 16 May 2025, around Garsfontein in Pretoria East. On Monday, IOL reported that the Polokwane Magistrate's Court has remanded 43-year-old Zimbabwean national Mhlalisi Moyo in custody after he was arrested in Limpopo for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle. Zimbabwean man, Mhlalisi Moyo, was remanded in custody by the Polokwane Magistrate's Court after he was arrested for possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle, a Toyota RAV4. Image: SAPS Mashaba said Moyo appeared in court on Friday, and his case was postponed to Thursday, 29 May for formal bail application. Last week, Mashaba said Moyo was arrested during a joint operation comprising the SAPS anti-smuggling task team, Tshimollo Security and Investigation, Reflex Anti-hijacking Security, and Tracker SA. 'The Toyota RAV4 was intercepted at approximately 8 pm (on Wednesday) near Shell Ultra City in Polokwane on the N1 highway,' said Mashaba IOL News
IOL News
28-05-2025
- IOL News
South African man in court after Limpopo cops foil attempt to smuggle Toyota to Zimbabwe
Police said Mikael Mlambo, 31, was arrested following a high-speed chase along the N1 South while he was driving a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross towards Beitbridge port of entry. Image: SAPS A 31-year-old man, Mikael Mlambo, is on Wednesday scheduled to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court in Limpopo after he was arrested when police intercepted a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross sport utility vehicle which was being driven towards the Beitbridge port of entry. Provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba told IOL that Mlambo was remanded in custody, and the court postponed the matter to Monday next week. Mashaba said the matter was postponed to allow for the profiling of the arrested man. He said police have since established that Mlambo is a South African national. Earlier, IOL reported that the grey SUV that was driven by Mlambo in Limpopo was reported stolen earlier this month, around Pretoria central. 'On Friday, 16 May 2025, members of provincial Flying Squad were busy conducting routine patrol duties when they received intelligence information about a grey Toyota Corolla Cross SUV vehicle that was reported stolen this month,' said Mashaba. 'The vehicle was allegedly travelling at high speed along the N1 South public road and was destined to be smuggled to Zimbabwe.' 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 ✕ Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. The police immediately commenced an intensive search for the stolen vehicle until it was positively spotted driving outside Polokwane. Police officers attempted to stop the speeding vehicle, but the driver refused to yield. Provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the grey SUV was reported stolen earlier this month, around Pretoria central. Image: SAPS 'A car chase ensued until the vehicle was intercepted at Nirvana robots. It was searched and police suddenly discovered a damaged tracking device removed from the vehicle,' said Mashaba. Police said Mlambo could not produce authentic documentation proving ownership, and he was immediately placed under arrest. He was charged for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle. Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has saluted the law enforcement team which intercepted and recovered the vehicle. She urged the team to continue in their concerted efforts to combat cross border crimes. On Tuesday, IOL reported that the Polokwane Magistrate's Court has remanded 43-year-old Zimbabwean national Mhlalisi Moyo in custody after he was arrested in Limpopo for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle. IOL News
IOL News
28-05-2025
- IOL News
Unprovoked attack: Limpopo brothers stoned man to death during tavern drinking spree
Vincent Ramai, 19, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment while his brother Solomon, 26, was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a 27-year-old man in June 2023. Image: SAPS The Lephalale regional court in Limpopo has imposed lengthy prison sentences on two siblings found guilty of the brutal murder of a fellow community member at Maeteletja village, situated within the Villa Nora policing precinct in the Waterberg District. Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the incident occurred in June 2023. Solomon Ramai, 26, was sentenced to life imprisonment, while his brother Vincent, 19, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Mashaba clarified that Vincent was sentenced in accordance with the Child Justice Act because he was a minor at the time of the offence. 'According to court proceedings, the two brothers assaulted a 27-year-old male victim to death using rocks during a night of drinking spree at a local tavern. The attack was unprovoked and carried out with extreme brutality, ultimately leading to the victim's death. The court noted the absence of any remorse on the part of the accused,' said Mashaba. 'Following the incident, swift and coordinated efforts by Villa Nora detectives led to the timely arrest of both suspects. The investigation team, led by Constable Manyaapelo Molekoa, was commended for its diligence and effectiveness, ultimately securing convictions against both perpetrators.' 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 Following their arrest, the brothers were each released on bail of R500, pending trial. Mashaba said the case underscores the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in ensuring perpetrators of violent crimes are held accountable. 'The differing sentences also reflect the court's consideration of Vincent Ramai's age at the time of the crime, in line with the provisions of the Child Justice Act,' said Mashaba. Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the heavy sentences imposed on the brothers. 'These lengthy sentences serve as justice for the bereaved family and a strong deterrent to others who may contemplate committing such acts of violence,' she said. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL News
