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IOL News
22-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Urgent need for responsible budgeting in local municipalities
To tax the already burdened and hard-pressed citizen is imprudent and should be avoided, says the writer. Image: Independent Newspapers MUNICIPALITIES are in the process of considering the Integrated Development Plan that incorporates the budget. These are statutory requirements. Local authorities are governed by relevant provisions of the RSA Constitution as well as the Local Authorities Ordinance and the trilogy of local government statutes - systems, structures and finance management. The budget is all about three things mainly-projected expenditure, projected income and the deficit. In the mix of the consideration are statutory consultations with the public and other role players. Regrettably, this has just become ticking the boxes with little or nothing of the many meaningful inputs being considered. This is just a crying shame. It is a common bad practice for councils to simply increase the rates and various other tariffs in order to make up the deficit. This is a clarion call and a wake-up call to authorities to face reality and be prudent regarding this sensitive and important matter in the light of the adverse economic situation the country faces. 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 ✕ Many people barely have basic food to put on the table and luxuries are out of the question. There are too many mamparas and nincompoops that hold political office and senior administrative positions and are oblivious of the plight of the teeming masses. They make decisions that concern people without due consideration to the reality of life. To tax the already burdened and hard-pressed citizen, as well as businesses and industry that contribute hugely to the city coffers, is imprudent and should be avoided. It is a common fact that in municipalities there is much mismanagement, laxity and incompetence with the result that wasteful, frivolous, unnecessary and fruitless expenditure is incurred. The Auditor-General yearly confirms this but the malpractices continue to the detriment of citizens, property owners and businesses. It is my fervent prayer that sense and reality will prevail in the various local authorities so that people and businesses can survive in these hard times and there will be a win-win situation for both the municipalities and its citizens and businesses. SIMON T DEHAL Verulam ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. THE POST
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
New donation thresholds approved by National Assembly to enhance political funding transparency
The National Assembly has adopted a report that recommended that the upper limit of donations be set at R30 million and the disclosure limit be set at R200,000 in a financial year. Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers The National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a report proposing increased disclosure thresholds and upper limits for donations to political parties and independent candidates. This unanimous decision, except for dissent from the MK Party, Build One South Africa, Al Jama-ah, and the ATM, is a sequel to the public hearings undertaken by the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee after Parliament was taken to court by lobby group, My Vote Counts, when it passed the Electoral Amendment Act without setting the upper limits for donation and disclosure thresholds before the 2024 elections. Before the amendment, the disclosure threshold was R100,000 per financial year, and the upper limit for donations was R15 million per financial year to political parties. When the newly amended law was passed, which also catered for independent candidates in line with the Political Party Funding Act, the National Assembly was required to pass a resolution to enable the president to make regulations relating to the amounts and set out factors to consider in regulating the amounts. 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 ✕ However, when the amended legislation came into operation in May, there were no amounts determined for disclosure threshold or upper limits or donations received. This prompted My Vote Counts to lodge an application in the Western Cape High Court in May seeking an order. The Western Cape High Court ruled that a legal lacuna had been created and inserted a read-in provision, which was essentially the reinstatement of the old amounts. In its report to the House, the portfolio committee recommended that the upper limit of donations be set at R30 million and that the disclosure limit be set at R200,000 in a financial year. Committee chairperson Mosa Chabane said the motion took into consideration the balance of running political parties and the need for transparency. MK Party MP Sihle Ngubane said transparency was a procedural necessity for democracy that enabled voters to know the funders of political parties to make informed decisions when they vote. Ngubane noted that there were concerns with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) enforcing compliance, in a move that may lead to potential loopholes. He said the IEC should be provided with resources, and enforcement should be strengthened. Ngubane said the elephant in the room was the sealed bank statement for the funding of President Cyril Ramaphosa's election to the ANC presidency. 'Till today, we have unresolved sealed bank statements funded through trusts, no accountability, transparency, and disclosure,' he said. Ngubane also said there should be lifestyle audits of all, including judges, who must be held to the same standards as politicians. 'Their role in politics is growing daily; they choose sides instead of being impartial,' he said, adding that the Phala Phala scandal should come back and be subjected to scrutiny. DA MP Adrian Roos said they supported the technical amendments to the Act to set the disclosure of donations and disclosures. 'These figures remain unchanged since the Act came into effect despite the inflation and rising campaign costs. For legitimate political activity to remain viable, the regulatory framework must evolve within the economic context,' Roos said. He called for a relook of the Political Funding Act to asses whether it pursued promotion of transparency and accountability in political finances. 'Is the Act achieving the constitutional purpose of promoting openness and fairness? Has it discouraged legitimate donations?' said Roos. EFF MP Thapelo Mogale said there was a need to ensure that the disclosure was done in a manner that did not create an administrative burden to parties as some don't have the capacity to monitor and report every donation they received. Mogale also called on the portfolio committee to summon the four major donors of political parties to explain their motives in funding them. ANC MP Moleboheng Modise-Mpya said the amended legislation reaffirmed the spirit of the Constitution to enhance multi-party democracy. 'We will continue to play our oversight role to ensure there is accountability and transparency on funds allocated to political parties and independent candidates. 'Our ideal situation is to have the state provide the necessary resources for political parties from the fiscus. That will go a long way to minimise reliance of political parties on private donors,' Modise-Mpya said.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scotland's papers: Labour's migrant 'blitz' and Bafta winners
The Herald The Scotsman Daily Record The Scottish Sun Daily Mail Scottish Daily Express The Times The Telegraph The National The Courier The P&J Glasgow Times Edinburgh News
IOL News
27-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
RISE Mzansi calls for serious and visionary leadership to achieve true freedom
RISE Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi urges action to build a free and prosperous South Africa. Image: Independent Newspapers As South Africans marked 31 years of democracy on Freedom Day, RISE Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi called for a renewed commitment to serious leadership and economic reform, warning that true freedom remains elusive for millions. In a statement released on Saturday, Zibi said while Freedom Day honours the sacrifice of those who fought for democracy, the country still faces 'steep mountains to climb' before all citizens can experience real freedom. 'Apart from fundamental rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights, it is freedom from economic anxiety arising out of unemployment, poverty and inequality that millions deserve the most, but remains elusive,' he stated. Zibi criticized successive governments for squandering public funds, urging a focus on economic growth to deliver living wages and rebuild confidence in the country's future. 'To achieve that goal, we are going to have to draw from the example and experience of past leaders who, under difficult circumstances, set aside personal sentiments and took tough decisions in the interest of a better future for all,' he said. He emphasized that political leaders must resist the temptation of "playing to the gallery at each turn," warning that while such acts might attract headlines, they 'undermine confidence in one another and delay critical resolutions that will move South Africa forward.' RISE Mzansi stressed that Parliament's immediate task is to adopt a revised Fiscal Framework to enable meaningful economic discussions. 'It is only in growing the economy that we can reduce the angst felt by South Africans, but we will only achieve it if we are willing to take and accept tough budget choices made in good faith,' Zibi said.
