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IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Assessing the DA's push for policing devolution in South Africa
The DA said they want the government to devolve some police powers to the provinces and cities Image: Supplied / SAPS The call to devolve some police powers to the provinces and metro councils, has been a drum beaten by the Democratic Alliance (DA) for some time. But will it make a difference or is just about the DA thinking that they can do it better than the ANC? The DA runs the Western Cape province as well as the City of Cape Town and has within the Government of National Unity, the chairmanship of the police portfolio committee in parliament. The province and city is racked by gang violence, and there is frustration that the national police can't seem to get a handle on it. Michael Jacobs of the Mitchell's Plain United Residents Association (MURA) said that every day in a suburb on the Cape Flats, a life is lost through gang and gun violence. 'These violent incidents sketch a picture of abnormality, fear, and the sheer brutality faced by ordinary residents on the streets. "We need to acknowledge that all levels of government - national, provincial, and municipal - have failed our bullet-ridden and gang-infested communities on the Cape Flats, Atlantis, Paarl, and elsewhere where gangsterism thrives. 'No amount of political theatrics and political spin will take away the fear, blood on our streets, death and open coffins on the Cape Flats of Fear,' Jacobs said. The Cty wants the ability investigate gang-related violence, firearm offences, extortion, and drug trafficking. It wants to have the power to collect its own crime intelligence; its own forensic laboratory testing centres to test firearms; participation in the Cooperation Agreement task team, between Province and police and endorse the establishment of a joint technical workstream comprising representatives from various stakeholders. Mzwakhe Nqavashe, chairperson of the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee within the City Council said communities are plagued by crime at all levels and it is clear that more is needed – from the South African Police Service and the City. SAPS does not have the manpower, and the City's uniformed staff do not have the power to undertake investigations. Professor Isaac Khambule from the University of Johannesburg, who lectures on political economy, said the DA 's idea smacks of neoliberalism. 'The fact is they say it should be the private sector that is running all of these particular functions, as we've seen in the case of Prasa, because they tried to bring in more private stakeholders. And we've seen the president giving in to some of these demands, such as bringing private players on by Transnet. 'So, at this particular moment, I think we just need to look at one avenue that says, 'yes, it is something that the DA has been pushing for', but since they were swallowed by the GNU, they did not necessarily have space to push for the kind of reforms that they wanted." DA Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith said the Council's portfolio committee on safety and security passed a motion on June 4 to initiate an intergovernmental dispute. He also touted the city's emergency call centre, handing over 16,000 incidents to SAPS in the past 100 days alone, amid 'ongoing collapse of the national 10111 system'. 'We're stepping in where others are failing, and doing more to keep our residents safe.' Given the DA's majority in the city council, the motion calling for the devolution is likely to pass. However, Khambule has added that the DA's chances of getting the devolution are slim, as it could set a dangerous precedent. 'If they do allow this particular devolution, then it is likely to be more push for the entire Western Cape to be independent. 'It is not just an issue of the ANC not allowing it, but it is also about all the political players within Parliament who are not going to allow this particular devolution to happen, because tomorrow then you are seeding power to certain sub-national structures that may not necessarily be competent in addressing these issues.'
Daily Maverick
01-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Petitions, statements and condemnation: Cape Town's draft budget controversy explained
As the deadline looms for public comment on the City of Cape Town's 2025/2026 draft budget, several questions have been raised over the proposed levies and increases. Daily Maverick explains what's going on. With public participation closing on Friday, 2 May 2025, for the City of Cape Town's draft 2025/2026 budget, there has been an outcry from both political parties and civic organisations about the planned tariff increases. At the same time, the City says this is an 'Invested in Hope' budget that serves as a balancing act between building a Cape Town of the future while protecting the most vulnerable residents. The draft budget was initially tabled on 27 March for public participation. Initially, criticism was raised by the lobby group Stop Coct, which says it aims to promote accountability in the City's affairs. Since then, public commentary and civic action has increased around the draft budget. Daily Maverick unpacks some of the contestation around it. What is at the root of this issue? The City proposed new charges, including fixed charges such as: Electricity fixed charge of R339.89. Water fixed charge linked to property value. Sewerage fixed charge linked to property value. City-wide cleaning charge linked to property value. There was a property rates increase of 7.96%, which Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said was 'to cover the major growth in more policing resources for a safer Cape Town — accounting for a third of every rand paid in property rates — as well as the major infrastructure investments in roads and community amenities'. This did not sit well with civic organisations and opposition parties. Speaking to Daily Maverick on Wednesday morning, Michael Jacobs, the deputy chairperson of the Mitchell's Plain United Residents Association, said: 'We think that the the levy, on your property and your rent, is punitive and that it is illegal and the City should scrap all of these ideas that they've got and the fixed amount of electricity. Even if you're on prepaid that also needs to be scrapped. 'We are 100% not in favour of this budget,' he said. Jacobs said the City was 'putting on extra levies when it comes to water, sanitation, and then they have the city-wide cleaning tariff, which we think is illegal, and we also see that they want to have this, all of these fixed charges linked to the value of your property.' Mitchells Plain residents were not the only ones who raised objections. During ward outreaches, residential associations from Noordhoek also raised objections to the proposed levies, according to the False Bay Echo. The same was for Brackenfell, where Tygerberger reported on a fiery meeting about the budget. What does the City of Cape Town say about it? On 23 April, in a statement issued by the City, Hill-Lewis said analysis of the budget showed that 'even after the proposed 2025/26 increases are taken into account, Cape Town still offers the lowest total municipal bills of all major cities based on proposed rates and tariffs for properties under R5-million, along with the most functional services and largest infrastructure investment programme'. 'While Cape Town delivers value for money in a functional, working City, the exact opposite is happening in other metros where residents are paying more and more for broken services and collapsing infrastructure,' he said. Writing in Daily Maverick on Wednesday, the mayor expanded on the City's plans, as well as addressing the concerns around the rate increases. He said: 'While we have deliberately designed this budget to protect families in the R1-million to R2.5-million property value bracket, we recognise that it is also true that those living in more valuable properties are not necessarily well off.' Enter the politicians and a call for an extension Several political parties have entered the fray around the increases. During last week's Western Cape Legislature sitting, parties such as the African National Congress (ANC) and the National Coloured Congress raised several questions around the DA fighting the VAT hike while at the same time increasing rates and introducing levies. In a Facebook Live message, Patriotic Alliance leader and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie said he owned a home in Cape Town and told his followers: 'If they (the DA) care so much about the poor, why are they raising rates and taxes?' Build One South Africa, which has no council seats, started a petition for residents to express their frustration over the rate increases. After this week's blitz of interviews by the mayor, Anton Louw, a member of the Good party and city councillor, said the City of Cape Town should extend the public comment period. On Wednesday morning, Louw said: 'In a last-ditch attempt to soften public backlash, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis recently announced that the City is 'looking at additional support to owners of properties up to R7-million'.' He said Good urged residents not to be 'bamboozled by the City's creative budgeting, misleading PR spin, and phoney redistribution promises'. He went further to say that the City was pretending to be a Robin Hood — 'wanting residents to believe the draft budget has the welfare of the poor at heart, but it is actually just spin camouflaging the fact that the City wants to charge ratepayers a new set of tariffs that dwarf inflation'. He claimed that unlike Robin Hood, who robbed the rich to help the poor, 'the Cape Town budget fleeces both rich and working-class households without making meaningful improvements to services or expanding support for Cape Town's most vulnerable residents'. What next? 'Following 2 May 2025, public comments will be considered and responded to, with the City's budget due to be considered for adoption by Council on 29 May,' the City has said. DM
USA Today
12-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Southern vs. Grambling men's basketball tickets still available for Wednesday, March 12
Southern vs. Grambling men's basketball tickets still available for Wednesday, March 12 The No. 1 seed Southern Jaguars (20-11, 15-3 SWAC) and the No. 8 seed Grambling Tigers (11-21, 7-11 SWAC) will try to move on in the SWAC tournament on Wednesday as they meet at 2 p.m. ET. Buy tickets for Southern vs. Grambling Shop college basketball tickets at SeatGeek Shop college basketball tickets at StubHub Southern vs. Grambling game information Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 Wednesday, March 12, 2025 Time: 2 p.m. ET 2 p.m. ET How to watch on TV: ESPN+ ESPN+ Location: College Park, Georgia College Park, Georgia Venue: Gateway Center Arena Gateway Center Arena Spread: Southern -6.5 Southern -6.5 Moneylines: Southern -300, Grambling +240 Southern -300, Grambling +240 Total: 127.5 127.5 Tickets: Buy tickets here Watch college basketball on ESPN+! Southern leaders So far this season, Michael Jacobs is averaging 11.3 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per contest. Offensively, Damariee Jones puts up 7.5 points per game. Jordan Johnson has put up 9.9 points per game. On a per-game basis, Cam Amboree posts 7.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Defensively, he delivers 1.0 steal and 0.1 blocked shots. Dionjahe Thomas is putting up 5.9 points per game this season. Grambling leaders On the hardwood, Mikale Stevenson is posting 10.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Kintavious Dozier is putting up 12.1 points per contest. Antwan Barnett has put up 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this season. From an offensive standpoint, P.J. Eason averages 5.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per contest. At the other end, he averages 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocked shots. So far this season, Ernest Ross posts 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per contest, shooting 46.9% from the floor. Southern vs. Grambling stats breakdown This year the Jaguars are shooting 44.0% from the field, only 1.6% higher than Tigers concede. Southern is 9-7 against the spread and 16-3 overall when shooting better than 42.4% from the field. The Tigers shoot 43.5% from the field, just 1.1% higher than the Jaguars allow. Grambling is 9-6 against the spread and 10-8 overall when shooting higher than 42.4% from the field. The Jaguars collect 34.5 rebounds per game, topping the Tigers by 3.5 boards per contest. The Jaguars are the 52nd-ranked rebounding team in the country, and the Tigers are 241st. The 75.2 points the Jaguars average are 7.2 more than the Tigers allow. The Tigers average 67.0 points, only 1.4 fewer than the Jaguars give up. Shop college basketball tickets at SeatGeek Shop college basketball tickets at StubHub
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Southern vs. Alabama A&M men's basketball tickets still available for Saturday, March 8
Southern vs. Alabama A&M men's basketball tickets still available for Saturday, March 8 Saturday's SWAC schedule includes the Southern Jaguars (18-10, 14-2 SWAC) playing the Alabama A&M Bulldogs (10-19, 6-10 SWAC) at 6 p.m. ET on SWAC Digital Network. Buy tickets for Southern vs. Alabama A&M Shop college basketball tickets at SeatGeek Shop college basketball tickets at StubHub Southern vs. Alabama A&M game information Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025 Saturday, March 8, 2025 Time: 6 p.m. ET 6 p.m. ET How to watch on TV: SWAC Digital Network SWAC Digital Network Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge, Louisiana Venue: F.G. Clark Activity Center F.G. Clark Activity Center Tickets: Buy tickets here Watch college basketball on Fubo! Southern leaders So far this season, Michael Jacobs is posting 10.7 points per game. Offensively, Damariee Jones puts up 7.9 points per contest. Jordan Johnson has put up 9.4 points per contest. On a per-game basis, Cam Amboree puts up 7.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists, shooting 39.1% from the floor and 38.0% from beyond the arc with 1.5 made 3-pointers per contest. Dionjahe Thomas posts 6.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game, shooting 52.8% from the floor. Alabama A&M leaders On the hardwood, Anthony Bryant is averaging 14.4 points, 1.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Chad Moodie is averaging 11.1 points, six rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest. Lorenzo Downey has put up 7.3 points per contest this season. From an offensive standpoint, Darius Ford is averaging 7.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per contest. So far this season, Bilal Abdur-Rahman is averaging 6.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds per contest. Southern vs. Alabama A&M stats breakdown The Jaguars shoot 44.1% from the field, only 1.5% lower than the Bulldogs concede defensively. Southern is 3-5 against the spread and 8-2 straight up when shooting better than 45.6% from the field. This year Alabama A&M is 6-5 against the spread and 10-4 overall when shooting above 42.0% from the field. The Jaguars and Bulldogs rebound at about the same rate, with the Jaguars collecting 1.1 more boards per game. The Jaguars are 54th in rebounding in the country, and the Bulldogs are 84th. The Jaguars are averaging 75.8 points, only 3.9 fewer than the 79.7 the Bulldogs give up. The Bulldogs average 74.9 points, 6.1 more than the Jaguars allow. Shop college basketball tickets at SeatGeek Shop college basketball tickets at StubHub
USA Today
22-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch Grambling Tigers vs. Southern Jaguars: Live stream info, TV channel, game time
How to watch Grambling Tigers vs. Southern Jaguars: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | February 22 The Southern Jaguars (17-9, 12-1 SWAC) face the Grambling Tigers (9-17, 6-7 SWAC) at 5:30 PM ET on Saturday in SWAC play. The matchup airs on SWAC Digital Network. In its most recent game, Southern won at home over Texas Southern 66-57, with Michael Jacobs (20 PTS, 2 STL, 100 FG%) and Jordan Johnson (11 PTS, 27.27 FG%, 2-8 from 3PT) leading the way. In its most recent game, Grambling won at home over Prairie View A&M, 70-48. Its top performers were P.J. Eason (17 PTS, 10 REB, 2 BLK, 70 FG%) and Mikale Stevenson (16 PTS, 2 STL, 42.86 FG%, 2-4 from 3PT). Here's everything you need to prepare for Saturday's college hoops action. Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Grambling vs. Southern: How to watch on TV or live stream Game day: Saturday, February 22, 2025 Saturday, February 22, 2025 Game time: 5:30 PM ET 5:30 PM ET Location: Grambling, Louisiana Grambling, Louisiana Arena: Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center TV Channel: SWAC Digital Network Watch college basketball on Fubo! Jaguars vs. Tigers odds and spread Spread Favorite: Jaguars (-2.5) Jaguars (-2.5) Moneyline: Southern (-163), Grambling (+136) Southern (-163), Grambling (+136) Total: 129.5 points College basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 3:35 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Watch college basketball on Fubo!
