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Eyewitness News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Nkabane: Parties rejecting budget of Higher Education Dept punishing SA students
CAPE TOWN - Embattled Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane said political parties who are rejecting the budget of her department are not punishing her, but rather South African students. She said those calling for her head are misogynistic and against transformation in the post-school sector. ALSO READ: Majority of political parties in NCOP reject higher education dept's budget, call for Nkabane's axing Nkabane was motivating her budget in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday, where the majority of political parties said she was failing at her job and couldn't be trusted to manage billions of rands. She, however, avoided responding to her handling of the appointment of boards for the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA), which has landed her in hot water. As the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday sought to increase the pressure on Nkabane to step down or be fired, it laid a complaint against her with the police for misleading Parliament. Hours later, Nkabane faced the DA's parliamentary caucus, who along with the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), slammed her management of the department and said they didn't support the budget. But Nkabane held her ground. 'They are not rejecting the budget of Nobuhle Nkabane. This is not the budget of Nobuhle Nkabane. This is the budget of the people of South Africa.' In attempts to counter claims that she's failing to root out corruption in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), Nkabane said she had gone to court to cancel a monthly R2.5 million office lease in Cape Town, and to stop the contracts of payment service providers who don't deliver. 'When you are against transformation, it irritates a lot when you see such a young woman leading such a huge ministry in your presence. "It's misogyny. I understand it, I know where it's coming from, and worse when it's a black woman.' On Thursday, Nkabane can expect more backlash as she moves to the National Assembly to motivate the budget.
IOL News
26-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Opposition say Cape Town "Invested in Hope" budget ignores poor, working class
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis addressing City Council on the adoption of the metro's Invested in Hope Budget 2025/26 on 26 June. Image: Supplied / City of Cape Town The City of Cape Town has adopted its 2025/26 budget, titled 'Invested in Hope', despite strong opposition from political parties who accused the DA-led administration of misrepresenting the realities faced by poor and working-class communities. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis introduced the final budget during a sitting of the City Council on Thursday, highlighting a range of revisions aimed at easing cost burdens for pensioners and middle-income households while preserving the City's multibillion-rand infrastructure investment programme. 'Our budget asks a little more of those who can afford it, while protecting basic services for those who can't afford it,' Hill-Lewis told councillors. 'The budget was largely welcomed by lower-income residents, and we've also managed to significantly lower increases for middle-class residents, in the end building broad support for the budget across the city.' The mayor announced significant enhancements to pensioner rebates, including a 100 percent rates and cleaning charge rebate for those earning up to R10,000 per month, up from the previous R7,500 threshold. 'A 50 percent rebate will now be available up to R20,000 income, 20% up to R24,000 income, and 10% up to the R27,000 max threshold,' he said. He also revealed that 97% of ratepayers would avoid electricity tariff increases above 20%, thanks in part to the removal of a 10% city cleaning surcharge from electricity prices. 'Thousands of households will pay less to consume electricity from 1 July,' Hill-Lewis said. Fixed water and sanitation charges, previously based on pipe size, will now be determined by property value. The mayor said this would lead to lower fixed charges for homes valued under R2.5 million. 'Even when adding the new sanitation charge, 200,000 families in homes under R2.5 million will pay less fixed charges for Water and Sanitation together this year compared to what they would have paid on the pipe-size system.' Addressing the retention of fixed charges linked to property value, Hill-Lewis said: 'The only other alternative... is for everyone to pay a flat charge regardless of whether you are low-income or affluent. We must be clear that lower-income and wealthy households cannot make equal contributions... It's not fair, nor sustainable.' The final budget also introduced new debt write-off measures for qualifying households and organisations. 'Debt write-offs are not handouts,' said Hill-Lewis. 'They are incentives for struggling households to make a payment arrangement and to, from a clean slate, begin making the necessary contributions to our City's running.' Those who may benefit include pensioners, social grant recipients, non-profit organisations, residents of city-owned rental stock, and property owners with debt older than one year. The City also lowered the qualifying period for writing off outstanding debt on closed accounts from three years to one. Despite these revisions, opposition councillors issued scathing rebukes of the budget and its priorities. GOOD party councillor Axolile Notywala said: 'The DA's failures, lies and denialism in this budget are killing Black and Coloured children in Cape Town. Just yesterday, a child almost drowned while walking from school in a flooded street because the DA-led City of Cape Town failed to maintain drainage systems. This was in Parkwood, not in Clifton.' Notywala accused the DA of using 'PR stunts' while neglecting the infrastructure needs of poor communities. 'When you continue your PR stunts and governance, calling Cape Town the best-run City in South Africa, you are in clear denial of your deadly failures in Cape Town, as we witness children dying in Cape Town.' ANC councillor Alderman Xolani Sotashe described the budget as 'investing in falsehoods and continuous deception.' Referring to the Freedom Charter, he said, 'Whatever we do, we shall stay true to the core tenets of the Freedom Charter that are a stark reminder of the majority of Cape Town people who are still trapped in poverty and languishing in squalor while the minority continues to pass and implement oppressive and segregationist by-laws here in Cape Town.' He added that many of the capital projects listed in the budget were not new. 'Some of the capital projects contained in this budget are as old as ten years, yet the mayor talks as if these projects are new. Service delivery delayed is service delivery denied.' Sotashe also dismissed the City's claims of strong public support, citing figures from the public participation process. 'The City has just received 3,134 comments from a population of just over five million. What a shame. For the first time in the history of this City, the poor and the rich are overwhelmingly rejecting this budget with 87 percent of the comments received expressing anger and disgust against this budget.' According to the ANC, only two percent of public submissions supported the budget, while 11 percent were neutral. Sotashe said key public concerns included the introduction of fixed charges, poor road and sanitation infrastructure, lack of enforcement of by-laws, poor maintenance of municipal facilities, and weak public engagement. National Coloured Congress councillor Nasmi Jacobs also rejected the budget, accusing the City of misleading the public. 'Again, the public is deceived by the millions and billions made available, but in reality, our communities will not see that money,' he said. 'The same mayor couldn't make R600 million work for staircases on the Cape Flats. So how would he be able to work with these billions?' He said residents were struggling with basic needs while the City pushed ahead with large-scale infrastructure spending. 'The DA speaks of aqua and solar farms but our seniors on the Cape Flats are left without water and electricity. This budget is set to create more poverty.' The Freedom Front Plus councillor Emre Uygun questioned the deployment of Law Enforcement to wards across the metro. He said this would backfire on the City as it won't keep criminals off the street due to poor convictions in courts and the city not having investigative powers.
IOL News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
New speaker expected as Johannesburg council ousts ActionSA's Nobuhle Mthembu
The City of Johannesburg council in Braamfontein is expected to vote for a new speaker after ActionSA's Nobuhle Mthembu was axed. Image: Nhlanhla Phillips / Independent Newspapers The City of Johannesburg council is expected to vote for a new speaker after ActionSA's Nobuhle Mthembu was ousted. A total of 212 councillors voted against Mthembu, who could only muster 48 votes in her favour. Mthembu stated that the party is bigger than the individual and that the issue was not solely about her, especially after ActionSA chose to abstain from the motion of no confidence against Mayor Dada Morero. 'We have to show the residents that we are not here for positions only. We are here to serve, and if it means, based on principles, that we lose a position, so be it,' she 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 ✕ ActionSA's Nobuhle Mthembu was axed as the speaker of Johannesburg on Wednesday. Image: Sipho Jack / Independent Newspapers Mthembu also accused the DA, which brought the motion against her along with the Al Jama-ah party, of trying to return to power through the back door and not caring for residents. DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the council approved loans without giving councillors all the necessary information. She was referring to the R2.5 billion African Development Bank loan approved by the council last week. According to Kayser-Echeozonjoku, Mthembu called meetings at the last minute, leaving councillors unable to determine how the city's residents would be affected by decisions taken. She stated that fruitless and wasteful expenditure has ballooned to R23 billion, which was only revealed through a leaked document from a member of the presidential working group prior to the presentation of the Auditor-General SA's report. Kayser-Echeozonjoku added that Morero bypassed the council and undermined the mandate of councillors. 'We are still waiting for the notice from the acting city manager,' she said when asked about the date for voting for the new speaker. In terms of the legislation, the municipality has between one and 14 days to hold the elections in council. She said the municipality has totally collapsed under Morero. After Morero survived the DA's motion of no confidence, his administration said the victory was a clear indication that the majority of parties, as representatives of the residents, were voting for stability, continuity, and service delivery in the city. 'We agree that Johannesburg has serious challenges. However, we are now focused on turning around the situation. We have put in place solutions and interventions that are moving us in the right direction. We are building the Johannesburg we want to see,' he stated.
IOL News
18-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
DA slams Joburg council's approval of R2. 5 billion loan
The City of Johannesburg council in Braamfontein has approved a R2.5 billion loan from the African Development Bank. Image: Nhlanhla Phillips / Independent Newspapers The City of Johannesburg council has approved a R2.5 billion loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for capital expenditure projects. The R2.5bn loan is amortising, unsecured, and payable over 15 years, and its indicative total cost will be about R4.94bn and quarterly repayments of just above R81.8 million. 'The total front-end fee of 1.15% of the total loan amount is due to the AfDB before loan signature. This equates to about R28.75m for a loan of R2.5bn,' read documents presented in council on Wednesday. The council also gave the green light to the city's top officials to negotiate and effect changes on the debt agreement should they be required to protect the city's interests as well as execute on the final terms of the long-term loan to be provided by the AfDB. 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 ✕ However, DA shadow finance MMC Chris Santana said the party does not believe the city is in a position to take on more loans. 'It's with regret that I find the City of Johannesburg consistently trying to get long-term funding, in essence, trying to fund short-term funding. We are currently in a position where we do not have a funded budget,' he said. According to Santana, the collection rate is still behind the budgeted collection rate of 89%. He said it currently stands at 85% and that the repayments due per quarter on all loans will be almost over R400 million based on three loans. 'We are already sitting with a cash crisis and a cash crunch. We don't need this loan; the only reason I think we need this loan is to settle the short-term loan of R2.8bn from the DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa) that's coming up at the end of this month, June 30. 'We are stealing from Peter to pay Paul at this point,' Santana explained. He accused the municipality of sending back free money to the National Treasury. 'If we are sending back free money, why must we go loan money?' he asked.
The South African
16-06-2025
- Business
- The South African
The SA city that foreigners spent over R1 billion buying property in
International property buyers have already poured over R1 billion into Cape Town's real estate market so far in 2025, proving that the city is more attractive than ever to foreigners wishing to invest. According to BusinessTech and Seeff Property Group, sales to international buyers hit R600 million in February and R700 million in April this year, bringing the year-to-date figure to well over R1 billion. Data also showed that overall property sales in Cape Town reached nearly R2.5 billion in the first five months of 2025 – the highest level seen in the past five years. And it seems foreigners are interested in purchasing property in particular areas in the city. Ross Levin, licensee for Seeff Atlantic Seaboard, noted that foreign buying has been especially strong in the Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl, which together accounted for around 67% of all international transactions. In April alone, overseas buyers spent R530 million on properties in the Atlantic Seaboard. 'We've seen sales across just about all suburbs, with Camps Bay and Bantry Bay commanding the highest values, and Sea Point and the CBD leading in transaction volumes,' Levin said. Data also indicated that foreigners from over 40 countries have invested in Cape Town this year. These included buyers from Germany, the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, and other European nations. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
