Latest news with #ExpropriationWithoutCompensationAct
IOL News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
‘We're not here to save the ANC' - DA sharpens its stance in GNU
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen's says the GNU has experienced ups and downs since its formation. Image: Ayanda Ndamane Independent Newspapers Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen has admitted that the Government of National Unity (GNU) has experienced a 'tough' first year, but said progress is being made and many priorities are on track. 'Yes, it's been a tough year - a year of many ups and downs, but I think the GNU has survived a year. Many people never thought it would last more than a few months, yet here we are,' Steenhuisen said. He was speaking in Hanover Park, Cape Town, where the DA celebrated its 25th anniversary since its formation. The GNU, formed following the May 2024 general elections, came after the African National Congress (ANC) failed to secure a majority for the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994. The coalition includes the ANC, the DA, Freedom Front Plus and several smaller parties, some of whom were former rivals. However, the unity government has been marred by internal tensions, particularly over policy implementation, leadership disputes, and allegations of corruption and a lack of accountability. The DA, which is the second-largest party in the GNU, has clashed with its partners on multiple legislative fronts. It has challenged the Expropriation Without Compensation Act and the Employment Equity Amendment Act in court. 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 ✕ Ad loading In April, the party successfully contested the passage of the fiscal framework in Parliament, a bill the ANC pushed through with support from non-GNU parties such as ActionSA and Build One South Africa (BOSA). Steenhuisen, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, said the GNU has faced numerous political tests, including disputes over a controversial 0.2% increase in VAT. 'We have been battle-tested in the VAT debate. We now have a budget that will be passed this week,' he said. 'We've got a medium-term development plan that has been passed. We have a fiscal framework, I think we are well on track.' Despite tensions, Steenhuisen emphasised that the coalition must deliver on its promises to the public. 'I think the GNU has to accelerate at a whop speed our initiatives to grow the economy,' he said. South Africa continues to grapple with major challenges, including high unemployment, rampant crime, poverty, a water and electricity crisis, pothole-riddled roads, sewer spills, and poor sanitation. GNU leaders had pledged to address these issues, but have so far made limited progress. 'The GDP growth for the first quarter this year is not a good story,' Steenhuisen said. 'We've got to do far more - and far quicker, to stimulate the economy and drive the reforms needed to lift South Africa off its current trajectory of high debt and unemployment.' With the 2029 general election on the distant horizon, Steenhuisen said the GNU has four years left to prove itself. 'We cannot wait any longer. The GNU must show South Africans why they should back the builders, not the breakers,' he said. 'And we can only do that if we demonstrate to citizens that we've grown the economy, created jobs, reduced poverty, and lowered the cost of living - the issues that really affect ordinary people on the ground.' IOL News previously reported that political analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe questioned the DA's motives in the coalition. 'DA federal chair Helen Zille has been very clear that she didn't join the GNU to save the ANC. She's only there to keep Ramaphosa in power because he serves the interests of certain elites,' he said. 'You can't have a coalition where one party has publicly vowed to destroy another. That's not a partnership, that's sabotage...' Seepe added that the DA is pursuing its own policy direction and will continue opposing key ANC legislative efforts, including NHI and the BELA Bill. 'The DA is not in the GNU to help. They're in it to advance their own goals.' IOL Politics
Business Insider
18-05-2025
- Health
- Business Insider
South Africa grapples with HIV funding crisis after US aid cutoff
South Africa's Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, has dismissed media reports claiming the country's HIV response is in crisis, despite the government's struggle to secure new funding, following US aid cuts. South Africa's Health Minister refuted claims that the nation's HIV response is in a crisis despite recent financial difficulties. The U.S. government significantly reduced its PEPFAR funding, previously contributing 17% to South Africa's HIV budget. Health professionals and activists warn of rising challenges and demand immediate governmental solutions to the crisis. Until recently, the U.S. PEPFAR initiative covered approximately 17% of South Africa's HIV budget. However, funding was significantly reduced after the Trump administration cut support to USAID, the world's largest donor organization focused on health and humanitarian aid. South Africa further strained relations with the U.S. after enacting the Expropriation Without Compensation Act—a policy impacting land ownership among white Afrikaners—which contributed to a substantial funding gap. South Africa's HIV crisis According to Reuters, HIV viral load testing in South Africa has declined drastically due to funding shortages. Medical professionals describe the situation as a worrying sign of strain on the healthcare system. While Minister Motsoaledi acknowledged disruptions, he denied claims of a systemic breakdown, attributing the narrative to media misinformation. 'If the tests have gone down... we will try to correct it, but we do not think it is a train smash,' he told reporters. Reuters also reported that 8,000 healthcare workers have lost their jobs after US funding ended, despite previously supporting 15,000 workers' salaries. The health minister admitted there's no clear plan in place for these workers. 'I'm not going to stand here in front of you and claim that we have got any plan for the 8,000 people beyond just speaking to funders and our own Treasury, which still have not yet responded on what's going to happen, ' he said. His remarks sparked nationwide criticism, particularly from health sector professionals who accused the government of inadequately addressing the funding shortfall, warning that the impact is already being felt. In response, HIV activists disrupted a parliamentary session in Cape Town, demanding immediate action. Fatima Hassan, founder of the Health Justice Initiative, stated, " The health minister is in denial, and once again, South Africa will have to deal with the harmful public health consequences of not just the Trump administration, but also our own government's failure to plan adequately for months ' Recall that President Trump had previously expressed concerns about the hateful rhetoric and government policies fueling violence against certain white landowners in South Africa. The shutdown of HIV aid was reportedly part of a broader effort to address the alleged mistreatment of Afrikaners. South Africa, once at the epicenter of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, has made substantial progress in reducing infections and deaths over the past two decades.
IOL News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Mbalula: ANC must win elections outright to bypass DA resistance in GNU
Fikile Mbalula says the ANC will continue passing laws aimed at deepening transformation, whether the opposition likes it or not. Image: X/@FikileMbalula African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Fikile Mbalula says the only way the party can overcome opposition from the Democratic Alliance (DA) - a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU) - is to win the next elections with an outright majority. Speaking at the Duma Nokwe Memorial Lecture in Sedibeng on Tuesday, Mbalula said the ANC would not be deterred, even as the DA continues to challenge key government policies in court. 'Comrades, the misrepresentation of the Expropriation Act is evidence that the beneficiaries of apartheid will not sleep,' Mbalula said. 'Similarly, those who have taken us to court for advancing employment equity are working overtime to reverse the gains of our freedom.' The DA has challenged both the Expropriation Without Compensation Act and the Employment Equity Amendment Act in court and has a track record of legal opposition to ANC policies. In April, the party successfully contested the adoption of a fiscal framework in Parliament. Although the ANC had secured the budget with backing from both GNU allies and non-aligned parties such as ActionSA and Build One South Africa (BOSA), the DA and Freedom Front Plus opposed it. 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 ✕ Despite being the second-largest party in the GNU, the DA has failed politically to stop key legislation, including the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill and the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act Mbalula said the ANC must secure a decisive electoral mandate to prevent policy gridlock. 'It is clear to us, as the ANC, that the only way to overcome this strategic setback is to win the elections with an outright majority,' he said. 'However, comrades, we must not just win the elections to manage contradictions, but to ensure radical and rapid socio-economic transformation.' He argued that South Africans have already signalled their desire for change. 'Our people have said through the ballot that they want radical and accelerated change,' he said. 'As the ANC, we must listen to the masses and not justify the unjustifiable.' Acknowledging the party's failure to win more than 50% in the last election, Mbalula dismissed claims of voter migration. 'Our people simply decided to stay at home. They did not go to any other political party,' he said. 'If they had, we would have a completely new government in the republic.' He stressed that the ANC remains the country's largest party and will continue to push forward with its legislative agenda. 'That is why, comrades, with that 40%, we will deepen transformation,' he said. 'We will pass laws that deepen transformation—the BELA Act, the NHI, the Expropriation Act, Employment Equity, and more. Those who are in court to challenge these laws of transformation must gear up for a long battle, because we are not going to stop.' Mbalula also invoked the legacy of Duma Nokwe, ANC secretary-general from 1958 to 1969, to call for introspection and reform within the party. Nokwe died in 1978 at the age of 50. 'It is in this sense that we believe Comrade Duma Nokwe gave us an opportunity to reflect and correct ourselves,' Mbalula said. 'This self-correction, comrades, is being realised through the process of organisational renewal and rebuilding. We must admit our mistakes and correct them.' IOL Politics
