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IOL News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
‘Silent' Ramaphosa back in the country as parties lay criminal charges against Senzo Mchunu
President Cyril Ramaphosa returned from the BRICS Summit earlier this week, but has remained silent on explosive allegations against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu Image: GCIS It's been two days since President Cyril Ramaphosa returned from the BRICS Leaders' Summit in Rio de Janeiro, yet his silence on the explosive allegations by KZN police boss Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu remains deeply concerning, critics have said. The DA says Ramaphosa's continued silence is a failure of leadership. 'The President has not said anything since landing back in South Africa on Tuesday and has not taken any action,' said DA deputy chief whip Baxolile Nodada. 'The president cannot be quiet when there's a massive crisis like this. Like I ask, he landed on Tuesday, everybody is asking where is the President? Why is he saying nothing? Why is he not acting on people that are defrauding and lying to parliament. 'He needs to act with the vigour that he intended to act in fighting corruption to male sure that our state owned entities and ultimately the departments actually live up to the standards that they are meant to live up on. He can't be silent, he was silent on Nkabanae and did nothing.' Nodada made the remarks outside the Cape Town Central Police Station, on Thursday morning, where the party laid criminal charges against Mchunu, accusing him of misleading Parliament and interfering in police operations. Nodada said Ramaphosa's failure to act is deeply concerning. 'Minister Mchunu came to Parliament in March this year and was asked whether he knew Mr. Brown Mogotsi,' Nodada said. 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 ✕ 'He said he didn't. But in July, he returned and said Mogotsi is his comrade and associate.' Nodada accused Mchunu of lying to Parliament, a violation of Section 27 of the Powers and Privileges Act, and said this amounts to fraud. 'As the DA, we won't sit idly by while ministers lie to Parliament - an essential accountability mechanism for the public,' Nodada said. 'We laid charges against the Minister of Higher Education and Training nine days ago, and the Hawks are now investigating. The same should apply here.' Mogotsi has been implicated in alleged political interference in police operations by Mkhwanazi. Mchunu initially denied knowing him during a March 5 committee hearing, saying he had only seen a photo of the man and didn't recognize him. However, in a statement issued Wednesday, Mchunu said he had met Mogotsi but downplayed the relationship. 'Whilst the minister knows and has met Mogotsi, he is just a comrade and not an associate,' the statement read. 'The minister has never requested or received anything from him.' Mkhwanazi, however, alleged Mchunu and other senior police leaders are linked to a criminal syndicate tied to drug cartels and politically connected individuals. He accused Mchunu of collusion and shielding key figures from prosecution. The controversy also involves murder-accused businessman Vusimuzi Matlala. Mkhwanazi claims Mchunu and Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya colluded with Matlala to obstruct justice. Mchunu's office denied any connection to Matlala. 'The minister has never met Matlala, never spoken to him, and never received anything from him,' the statement said. 'However, the minister did initiate a review of the SAPS tender awarded to him, which has since been terminated.' Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola described the current situation as 'unprecedented' and said the police leadership is prepared to brief Ramaphosa 'We acknowledge fully the commitment made by His Excellency, the president, who said he would attend to this matter upon his return,' Masemola said.
The South African
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Mchunu faces pressure as MK Party and DA pursue legal action
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party is the latest to add its voice to calls for justice amid damning allegations made against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. The party's Member of Parliament, David Skosana, has laid criminal charges against Mchunu and Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya. The charges relate to perjury and defeating the ends of justice. This follows KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's explosive claims against Mchunu. He alleged that Mchunu has ties to a criminal accused, Vusimusi 'Cat' Matlala. Mkhwanazi also accused Mchunu and his associate, Brown Mogotsi, of interfering in police operations. According to Mkhwanazi, a R360 million health services tender lies at the centre. The South African Police Service (SAPS) tender was awarded in 2024. In a recently released statement, the minister claimed he does not have a relationship with Matlala. Mchunu also stated that he initiated a review of the SAPS tender awarded to Matlala when suspicions of possible wrongdoing surfaced. He claims the tender has since been terminated. Mchunu further claimed that Mogotsi is his comrade, but not his associate. This was after denying in Parliament that he was familiar with Mogotsi. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is also expected to lay criminal charges against Mchunu on Thursday, 10 July. The party has called on the Portfolio Committees of Police and Justice to investigate the allegations. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for restraint on the matter. He is expected to outline a course of action upon his return from the BRICS Leaders' Summit currently underway in Brazil. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
Daily Maverick
09-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
BRICS Summit 2025 — hard reset might be needed to reverse the bloc's flagging momentum
A back-to-basics approach might be needed amid mounting concerns about the blocs' continued relevance in shaping the international order. The recently concluded BRICS Leaders' Summit in Rio took place against the backdrop of great geopolitical flux. After years of growing relevance, the group appears to be struggling to maintain forward momentum. As its expanded membership grapples with its own internal contradictions and an increasingly unpredictable international system, a hard reset may be needed to get back to basics. In recent years, BRICS has enjoyed a resurgence. In 2022, the Ukraine war and fatigue with Western-dominated global governance and finance institutions bolstered interest in alternative power centres, particularly among Global South countries. The group's utility for its five core members has centred on shared interests, South-South cooperation and progressive internationalism. Global events bolstered the club's attractiveness as countries worldwide grappled with their geopolitical hedging strategies, seen, for example, through multi-alignment and active nonalignment behaviours. This was clear at the 2023 Johannesburg summit, which unexpectedly (and perhaps prematurely) led to BRICS' expansion. Invitations were extended to six new members – five officially joined, including Indonesia in 2025. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally accept. At the 2024 Kazan summit, the new 'partner country' model allowed 10 more states to participate in annual summits, with limited influence on declarations and outcomes. The group has become a vital platform for geopolitical recalibration among member states. Kazan, for example, led to a considerable strategic thaw in Indo-China relations following the first formal bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in more than five years. Despite this positive momentum, concerns about BRICS' continued relevance in shaping the international order have intensified. This is mainly due to the bloat of its growing agenda, internal contradictions of its increasing membership and lack of a robust normative bedrock. Without this foundation, members will struggle to agree on a strategy to reform global governance and financial institutions. This year's summit appears to have dimmed the group's prospects further. Two of the five core members' heads of state did not attend in person. Xi's absence owing to a 'scheduling conflict' arguably points to Beijing's preoccupation with domestic priorities, as it grapples with mounting economic stresses. This was the first time Xi had not attended (either virtually or in person) since assuming office more than a decade ago. Russian President Vladimir Putin participated online, due to his International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. This is reminiscent of South Africa's quandary as an ICC Rome Statute signatory and BRICS summit host in 2023. While this approach has seemingly become accepted by BRICS members, it points to deep contradictions in their respective international legal commitments – another impediment to pursuing global institutional reforms for a more just world. Also absent were the Egyptian, Iranian and United Arab Emirates presidents, who sent senior representatives. Two other core BRICS members, South Africa and host Brazil, appeared preoccupied with preparations for hosting other forthcoming multilateral summits: the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém. External pressures compound these challenges. President Donald Trump's administration had warned the bloc against initiatives to displace the US from its dominant position in global affairs. He asserted during the summit that 'any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an additional 10% tariff'. Trump had threatened earlier that any moves to replace the US dollar with a BRICS-backed reserve currency would be accompanied by 100% tariffs, perhaps forcing a more circumspect approach from BRICS members. BRICS support for de-dollarisation, led by China and Russia, is high on the group's agenda – but internal disagreement around achieving it reveals fractures in the bloc's strategic unity, geopolitical strategist Velina Tchakarova told ISS Today. The German Marshall Fund's Dr Garima Mohan also highlighted these tensions, telling ISS Today: 'Given strained ties between two of its major founding members, India and China, it seems unlikely that the grouping will be able to speak in one voice or provide a credible critique of the current system of global governance. 'Additionally, China seeks to promote its own model – within BRICS and in other international formats – which is not more representative/democratic than the system we have in place today. This raises the question [of] whether BRICS is the right kind of platform for the reforms we need today.' With its core members spread so thin, it is unsurprising that this year's summit produced no fireworks. Expectations were limited to institutional developments focused on consolidating BRICS membership and thematic focus areas relating to cooperation on global health, trade and finance, climate change and artificial intelligence. The leaders' declaration contained several (fairly predictable) statements on global policy issues, and the outcomes largely validated the mild expectations for the Rio gathering. In sum, BRICS' approach this year has been to simply keep things turning over. This logic may not be entirely misplaced. Dr Samir Puri, the security director at Chatham House's Centre for Global Governance, says: 'BRICS has not emerged as a loud challenger to the controversial steps being taken by the second Trump administration, prompting questions over whether the platform has any worth. 'But a low-key BRICS summit may prove to be [smarter]. The BRICS countries are playing the long game, and there's little gain in provoking a loud clash with a conflictual US president.' However, this could equally be viewed as a missed opportunity. For all its flaws, BRICS remains uniquely positioned to represent global realities. Its diversity, non-ideological cooperation and growing economic heft allow coordination among nations that don't always agree but share common interests (not values). BRICS offers a platform that is pragmatic, strategic and unconstrained by the bureaucratic inertia of other multilateral bodies like the UN. While BRICS' incremental institutionalisation is a net positive, it will not move the needle in the prevailing global environment. The group's members are grappling with the weaponisation of trade policy, unilateral military interventionism, surging global defence expenditure and the impact of all this on the global institutional order. In this context, how will BRICS chart a new way forward for international cooperation? For the moment, it seems content responding to the volleys being served from Washington DC, rather than pre-empting major geopolitical developments, or placing other powers on the back foot. Against the headwinds of a revisionist US, a shaky Western alliance and a global system in crisis, bold and decisive moves by BRICS leaders are needed to usher in a more multipolar order. Simply keeping the ball rolling won't be enough. DM
The Star
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
‘Our net zero goals founded in law'
A new alignment: Anwar (second row, third from right) with world leaders on the final day of the BRICS Leaders' Summit. — Bernama RIO DE JANEIRO: Malaysia's commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions is grounded in law and public policies, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said the roadmap towards low-carbon transition and net zero emissions is both credible and just. 'We have pledged a 45% reduction in emissions intensity by 2030 and aim for net zero by 2050. 'These targets are grounded in law and embedded across public policy,' he said during Malaysia's intervention at the Environment, COP30 and Global Health session during the BRICS Leaders' Summit here on Monday. Anwar said Malaysia's approach, anchored in the National Energy Transition Roadmap, was supported by efforts to introduce a carbon pricing mechanism and regulatory reforms across key sectors. 'We are also assessing the role of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in decarbonising industry, with policy frameworks currently under development,' he said. Anwar acknowledged that such a transition required more than policy and must be backed by appropriate financing. 'At present, international climate finance stands at roughly US$300bil per year (RM1.271 trillion). 'This is far short of the estimated US$3 trillion (RM12.7 trillion) required by developing countries alone to meet mitigation and adaptation needs by 2030,' he added. As such, he said this was the reason Malaysia supported the BRICS Leaders' Framework Declaration on Climate Finance. 'But declarations, on their own, do not build power grids, protect coastlines or create jobs. 'Delivery requires properly capitalised instruments, fairer access to concessional finance, and better alignment between multilateral lenders and regional blocs,' he said. On tackling diseases, the Prime Minister said Malaysia welcomed the launch of the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases. 'It reflects a clear understanding that disease cannot be meaningfully addressed without tackling the conditions that entrench it,' he added. Anwar said the hard truth is that life expectancy remains shaped not by biology but by income. 'The fact that a child's chance of surviving past the age of five is still largely determined by GDP per capita represents a failure for us all,' he said. Anwar said this occurs when governments are forced to divert limited resources from clinics and clean water to service historical debt. Consequently, he said financial systems that were originally intended to support development have instead become barriers to achieving it. 'Malaysia believes that vaccine access, strong public health systems and the regulation of global medical supply chains are not peripheral matters. 'They are central to both national stability and international security,' he added. As such, Anwar said Malaysia supports deeper collaboration between BRICS and Asean aimed at strengthening surveillance and accelerating knowledge transfer to build resilience across borders. In its role as Asean Chair, Anwar said Malaysia is working to strengthen regional coherence on climate action. 'We are focused on improving access to green finance, harmonising standards and positioning South-East Asia as a centre for clean energy innovation and sustainable investment,' he said. He noted that the COP30 conference, to be held in Belem, Brazil, from Nov 10 to 21, must mark a shift from aspiration to execution because climate justice is ultimately about allocation of capital, of risk and of responsibility. 'Malaysia sees health, climate and finance as inseparable. A degraded environment weakens health systems. An underfunded health system undermines resilience,' he said. Anwar added that both would suffer if sovereign debt restricts national policy space. 'The task ahead is not to rehearse familiar arguments. It is to act precisely, collectively and at scale,' he added.
The Star
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Malaysia, BRICS and the Global South's new chapter
Rising power: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the BRICS Leaders' Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Malaysia's debut on the BRICS stage was an overture with a statement of intent on what's in the offing going forward. – Bernama IN Rio de Janeiro this week, something quietly historic unfolded. As the city welcomed leaders for the BRICS Summit, a fresh voice entered the conversation – Malaysia, a newly engaged BRICS partner country and current Chair of Asean. It wasn't just the setting that was momentous; the substance, too, defied expectations. Moments after touching down, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was ushered on stage alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to open the BRICS Business Forum. What followed was not the usual speech-reading routine of international summits. Speaking with conviction, Anwar eschewed prepared remarks in favour of an unadorned, impassioned message that electrified the room and drew thunderous, sustained applause.
