Latest news with #DA
eNCA
3 hours ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Minister Creecy tables budget before parliament
CAPE TOWN - It was a day for budget votes. Some were more controversial than others after the DA said it would boycott the budgets of at least two departments presided over by compromised minister. It's the final leg of the national budget process because the Appropriation Bill can only be passed if all departmental votes have been agreed to. One of the less controversial budget vote was for transport – although opposition parties criticised none the less.
TimesLIVE
4 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
DA rejects Simelane, Nkabane departmental budgets
The DA has followed through on its threat to vote against departmental budget votes of ministers who are facing allegations of wrongdoing. This after the party this week voted against budgets of the departments of human settlements and higher education led by Thembi Simelane-Nkadimeng and Nobuhle Nkabane respectively. This decision was taken as a direct response to President Cyril Ramaphosa axing trade and industry deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, of the DA, last week for defying his order that none of the members of his executive were allowed to go to the US at the height of the diplomatic tensions between the two countries. The DA in response argued that Ramaphosa had been harsh on Whitfield and that it was not acceptable that he fired him for such a minor transgression while he still kept Simelane and Nkabane in his cabinet. Unlike Whitfield, the DA argued, Simelane was accused of corruption and Nkabane stood accused of lying to parliament. Instead of dealing with the two ministers who were facing serious allegations, Ramaphosa decided to axe Whitfield for going on a trip without getting permission, the DA argued. DA MP Luyolo Mphithi on Wednesday said his party was voting against Simelane's budget vote because of the corruption allegations she was facing. Mphithi said the DA was concerned that instead of firing Simelane, Ramaphosa had moved her from the department of justice to human settlements. 'You'd think that the response to this that the president would have shown minister Simelane the door, he did not. He asked for the report that he stayed with for three months,' said Mphithi. 'And even though the DA sustained pressure asking the president to act, he lacked courage to act and instead decided to dump minister Simelane at human settlements, one of the most important departments for South Africans.' 'It seems that this president does not take an issue with the fact that a person accused of corruption sits in his cabinet and will have to look after a budget of R30bn that is set aside for South Africans,' he said. Ideally, Mphithi said, the DA would not have a problem with voting for the department of human settlements' budget as it relates to people's housing and security but they could not do it because of the allegations faced by Simelane. 'The DA will always support the granting of funds to house the vulnerable at the same time fast-tracking jobs and growth to give many more South Africans the dignity of being able to buy and own their own houses,' he said. 'And though this budget and the department have many challenges under normal circumstances it would be supported. However, we sit with a minister who faces corruption allegations who has not been accountable to the South African public. And it is because of this we struggle support this particular budget.' Mphithi and the MK Party's Thulani Gumede raised several issues with the human settlements budget presented by Simelane, saying it was not dealing with some of the key issues faced by South Africans in the sector. 'A critical examination reveals a fundamental flaw, an overall real decline in the department's budget. None of its five main programmes demonstrates above-inflation increases,' said Gumede. 'This systemic underfunding of human settlements initiatives will inevitably worsen existing backlogs and impair the progressive realisation of adequate housing.' He said his party could not vote for as it would mean they accepted the decrease in allocation. 'I asserted during the committee meeting last week and I reiterate now that this draft budget must be rejected. It's real term decline across key programmes particularly in integrated human settlements and informal settlements upgrading directly contradicts the constitutional obligation to provide adequate housing and the strategic goals of the national development plans,' he said. 'Accepting this budget will constitute a retreat from addressing deeply entrenched structural inequalities and the pressing needs of the vulnerable communities for basic services and dignified living conditions.'
News24
4 hours ago
- Politics
- News24
SASCO demands immediate removal of Higher Education Minister, Nobuhle Nkabane
Funding for higher education remains a significant crisis in South Africa, impacting countless students. As they grapple with securing financial support for their studies, the last thing they need is for those in positions of authority to worsen their challenges. The South African Students' Congress (SASCO) is the third organisation to call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to axe Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, following similar demands from the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). SASCO is accusing the Minister of incompetence and alleged corruption that threatens to extinguish the last hope for many students seeking financial aid. Read more | Former Transnet executives granted R50 000 bail each for fraud and corruption The organisation's concerns are centred around the Minister's alleged inability to effectively manage the department, resulting in failures, delays in student funding, and a general lack of accountability. One of the many key issues highlighted by SASCO is the alleged illegal appointment of chairpersons to 21 Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards, some of which included ANC politicians. The organisation claims that these appointments have contributed significantly to the challenges faced by students, including delays in funding and a lack of transparency in the allocation of resources. SASCO has also expressed deep concern over the systematic exclusion of students from accessing higher education, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The organisation argues that Minister Nkabane's policies and actions have perpetuated a two-tier education system, where only a select few have access to quality education, while the majority are left behind. In light of these concerns, SASCO is calling for Minister Nkabane's immediate removal even though no replacement has been yet found as they believe that removing her is necessary to restore stability and functionality to the Higher Education Sector. .Talking to eNCA on Sunday June 29, 2025, at the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters, SASCO President Alungile Kamtshe threatened to mobilise students and take them to the streets to put pressure if the Minister isn't removed immediately by this week 'We're going to start and consolidate students, remember that students are on recess currently after mid-year exams so once they get back on campus, we're going to do students mass meetings so that we mobilise them,' he stressed. 'This Minister has undermined public intelligence, literally, it's only her who's clever and everyone else is stupid, and through observation by South Africans it is clear that this Minister is not fit for office,' he added. In response to SASCO, Minister Nkabane briefed the media on Monday, June 30, 2025, pertaining Thursday's budget vote and maintained that she's not 'shaken' by the calls. 'There's nothing that I can say because it is the prerogative of the President to appoint, re-deploy or deploy, so I cannot say anything,' she stated. The DA has pledged to vote against the Department of Higher Education's budget until Ministers facing allegations of poor governance or corruption are held accountable. The story is still under development.
IOL News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
EDITORIAL: It's game over for the DA in the GNU
DA leader John Steenhuisen's announcement that his party, including ministers serving in Ramaphosa's Cabinet, will not take part in the upcoming National Dialogue, is immaterial, argues the writer. Image: Armand Hough/ Independent Newspapers THE DA now has little to no ground to argue against the perception that the ANC has reduced it to a mere bystander in the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU). That is why President Cyril Ramaphosa can fire a DA deputy minister from his executive without being concerned about the political implications for his decision. From the start, the ANC has always been firmly in control of the direction the government takes despite failing to secure enough votes to govern the country as a single party in last year's elections. Ramaphosa knows all too well that the DA's desperation to remain in government runs so deep that it will not retaliate with severe action even when he acts against DA members in the executive. The DA was always going to find it difficult to impose itself in the GNU because it entered the coalition government for the wrong reasons. Its stated objective of keeping the EFF and Zuma's MK Party out of government plays into the ANC's hands. ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula's utterances that the government won't collapse even if the DA leaves the GNU should be seen as a declaration that the DA's involvement in the GNU is immaterial. Just like DA leader John Steenhuisen's announcement that his party, including ministers serving in Ramaphosa's Cabinet, will not take part in the upcoming National Dialogue. The DA must leave the GNU with whatever little pride it still has. Its role in opposition benches was more effective than it is in this current government. The past 12 months have proved this. Almost all the policies and Bills it opposed remain firmly in place and some of them will be implemented on behalf of the ANC by their ministers. Leaving the GNU will allow it to make a head start in campaigning to win some of the key metros that remain hung. It's there that it should demonstrate its governing strength. It can find inspiration from renowned Pan-Africanist Professor Patrick Lumumba's words when he correctly points out that: 'No matter how good you are…if you stay for too long, you spoil it. A good dancer must know when to leave the stage.' CAPE TIMES
TimesLIVE
5 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Hlabisa urged to punish delinquent mayors and municipal officials
The DA has slammed the co-operative governance and traditional affairs ministry for neglecting oversight work at the coalface of service delivery centres. The DA made these remarks before the passing of the Cogta budget. 'It is due to this allowance of municipal top brass existing unchecked for the poor decisions that they make, that have resulted in dysfunctional municipalities and dilapidated services,' the DA said. In the National Council of Provinces, the DA's Dr Igor Stefan Scheurkogel led the charge, saying the collapse of local government stemmed from a crisis in political leadership. 'Of 116 municipalities, 68 have submitted unfounded budgets for three consecutive years. The auditor-general warned parliament that this fiscal recklessness has become systematic. 'Unfounded budgets are illegal under the Municipal Systems Act, which requires all municipal budgets to be based on a realistic anticipated revenue. These illegal budgets continue with zero accountability. The collapse of local government stems from political leadership. It simply doesn't care.' He told Cogta minister Velenkosini Hlabisa that he now has a chance to turn things around. The DA suggested the problems can be solved by going back to the basics. The party argued that real-time monitoring of revenue collection, early warning systems for deficits and cash flow issues, professionalisation of senior financial management roles and direct political accountability for overspending and irregularities were key to turning municipalities around. 'This is not a funding crisis. The crisis is of political will. The solution does not lie in a new funding model, it lies in the government crisis. Municipalities cannot continue with these illegal budgets, warning and evading consequences. What is missing is leadership, more for financial management and not policy smokescreens.' Scheurkogel told the NCOP that it was time municipal officials faced the music for their glaring failures. 'South Africans deserve budgets that deliver real services, roads that can be driven on, taps that deliver clean water, electricity that stays on, infrastructure that works and not politically convenient fiction. 'Yet, CFOs, HODs, have not been dismissed for unauthorised expenditure, no mayor has been held accountable, no measurable improvement has been seen. Instead, we see a government that knowingly budgets for failure and abandons communities to suffer the consequences.' He called the review of the white paper on local government a step in the right direction, saying, 'we must now commit to making local government work, because it is the sphere of government that touches the lives of South Africans every single day'. Hlabisa highlighted the comprehensive review of the 1998 White Paper on local government as a key focus area of his ministry, saying that it marks a crucial step towards a focused and fit for purpose local governance structures and that will result in efficient service delivery. 'This review is a testament to our collective commitment to addressing the challenges facing local governance and shaping a future that aligns with the aspirations of all South Africans. 'The review emphasises the need for local governments to adapt to a changing world characterised by urban growth, climate challenges, youth unemployment, and digital transformation, while embracing collaborations with traditional and Khoi-San leadership institutions. Hlabisa announced that he expected major collaboration across society as the review will function to influence governance, community engagement, and socioeconomic development. 'It reflects the government's commitment to improving local governance and service delivery, which are vital for effective democracy and citizen satisfaction. We prioritise inclusive engagement by ensuring all voices, especially those historically silenced, are heard. We aim to provide marginalised groups, like informal traders, women, youth, traditional and Khoi-San leaders, and rural communities, with the opportunity to participate.' He said the review aims to create a modern local governance structure that fosters capable, ethical and innovative municipalities, ultimately improving lives and strengthening democracy. The department has announced it has buckled to requests for more engagement, which has resulted in an extension of the deadline to July 2025. 'Our goal is to develop a responsive local government system that meets the needs of all South Africans and delivers quality services. We have made progress in implementing targeted interventions in distressed municipalities. These interventions include infrastructure maintenance and development support, enabling municipalities to address basic service delivery backlogs in water, electricity, roads and sanitation. 'We are also advancing critical policy and legislative reforms that lay the foundation for long-term stability and improved governance. Our interventions are guided by careful assessments of municipal needs, and we are committed to ensuring that our support is effective and sustainable.' According to the minister, his department's budget strategy introduces a package of targeted and differentiated interventions, guided by careful assessments of municipal needs. He said the department had identified 30 priority municipalities requiring support and intervention. Hlabisa said the department's focus areas include the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) which will accelerate critical infrastructure projects, ensuring value for money. He added the ministry allocated R493.8m to support this initiative in priority municipalities. 'Second, integrated urban development for growth nodes will enhance urban planning and infrastructure investments. To support these initiatives, we have reallocated R244.7m from the MIG to the Integrated Urban Development Grant (IUDG).' The third priority is the strengthening of municipal systems and the District Development Model (DDM) which is expected to enhance intergovernmental planning and budgeting. Its figure will rise from R151.1m in 2025/26 to R165.3m in 2027/28, supporting municipalities in improving their systems. 'We're finalising a municipal debt relief framework with the National Treasury to help municipalities manage debt and enhance financial sustainability,' pledged the minister. Gauteng Cogta MEC Jacob Mamabolo said Hlabisa has made his job easy, showing full support for the budget vote. He said it will be very strange if any party or member were to deviate from a 'very profound address made by the minister'. 'This is a very strategic and correct line taken, that we as Gauteng embrace and endorse. We have launched a province wide turnaround strategy in October 2024 and we are pleased to report remarkable and significant progress in the municipalities.' Hlabisa announced that his department's budget amounts to R410.9bn — with 96% majority earmarked for intergovernmental transfers and entities. He believes this significant investment will enable his department to implement criticalinitiatives that deliver tangible and measurable improvements in the lives of citizens. The department has allocated traditional affairs R195,530m, with a portion earmarked for transfer and subsidies.
