Despite threats and grumblings by the DA, one of his Government of National Unity (GNU) partners, President Cyril Ramaphosa has fully signed the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA) into law. In a statement released by the Presidency on Friday, December 20, Ramaphosa said he signed the new law and instructed Basic Education Minister and DA member Siviwe Gwarube to implement the BELA Act fully.  The first part of the act was signed in September this year, but two portions…

Long snaking queues in the baking sun formed around Eskom offices and service centres in many black working-class areas. Many people arrived at the offices the previous night sleeping over to avoid the stampede, including the elderly, frail and sick. A man died in Orlando Community Hall. He was 59-year-old Joseph Fikile Busakwe, he was number 486 in the queue. Like all the other people standing in line, he had gone in a panic to make sure that his electricity…

The proposal by the DA that the G20 Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) – which includes DA Ministers John Steenhuisen, Siviwe Gwarube, Solly Malatsi, and Dion George –  must become South Africa’s GNU foreign policy engine room has been met with harsh criticism from the presidency. This is after Ryan Smith, the DA’s International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) expert, wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the proposal. In his letter, Smith said his party advocates for a foreign policy that is both…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has criticized members of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Cabinet for allegedly lacking executive accountability, claiming they have failed to adequately respond to parliamentary questions. Julius Malema’s party said Cabinet ministers had failed to respond to half of the questions within the stipulated time. In some instances, they did not even bother entertaining written questions from Members of Parliament.  In a statement released on Tuesday, November 05th, the EFF accused GNU Ministers…

Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader John Steenhuisen’s claims that President Cyril Ramaphosa represented himself when he described Russian Leader Vladimir Putin as South Africa’s “valuable ally” are “silly” and show that the party is still pursuing the apartheid government’s foreign policy. According to Andre Thomashausen, a Professor Emeritus of International and Comparative Law at the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the former Head of the university’s Department of Public, Constitutional and International Law, Steenhuisen’s assertions also proved that South Africa’s…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described Russian leader Vladimir Putin as a “valuable ally and a friend” who supported him when South Africa entered uncharted waters after the May general elections. He told Putin he had formed the Government of National Unity (GNU) with several opposition parties to stabilise South Africa politically after the governing African National Congress received 40% of the national vote. Putin was widely expected to use the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, to show the world…

The recent resignation of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu is a cause for concern, sparking worries about the party’s future and its potential impact on African unity and Pan-Africanism in South Africa.  My concern is that Shivambu’s departure may not only weaken the EFF but also hinder efforts toward unity at a crucial time for the country and the continent. This country cannot afford to have a destabilized EFF. The party’s presence and participation in the political…

ACTIONSA President Herman Mashaba has denounced President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity (GNU), saying his party would never join it because it would mean working with a “criminal ANC”, and a “dishonest and arrogant” Democratic Alliance (DA) which pays lip service to the fight against corruption.   The former Joburg mayor said the DA joined forces with the governing party because it wanted power, positions and “to control the ANC” rather than serve the people of South Africa.  In a…

Following the ANC’s underwhelming election performance, South Africa is currently embroiled in a gruesome process of coalition-building. Although this is not necessarily a new problem as it is often portrayed, there was ample time to develop rules and guidelines seeing huge problems the coalition created at the local government level. However, the primary concern now is how political parties are approaching the task of forging working relationships, whether they term them as coalitions or as a ‘government of national unity’…

After a two-week delay marred by frosty talks between his governing ANC and opposition parties, President Cyril Ramaphosa finally unveiled his grand coalition cabinet, allocating several cabinet posts to the Democratic Alliance (DA) and eight other opposition parties. In a televised address to the nation, Ramaphosa appointed six DA ministers, including party leader John Steenhuisen, who took over the Department of Agriculture, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) president Velenkosi Hlabisa, Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) president…