Global Citizen
Flash Briefing: Expert panel fingers Ramaphosa for failure to control ANC, corruption; JSC recommends Mandisa Maya for chief justice
A panel of experts says that President Cyril Ramaphosa has effectively failed to control the ANC and the party’s mechanisms which enable corruption.
- A panel of experts says that President Cyril Ramaphosa has effectively failed to control the ANC and the party's mechanisms which enable corruption. The panel, set up by the president, said that his anti-corruption stance had isolated him from other members of the party, who themselves have been implicated in corrupt activities. They said a call for an end to corruption rallies people outside the ANC. The only agency seen as effective against corruption is the Special Investigating Unit, with the overall attempt at combating graft seen as having plateaued. Meanwhile, South Africans – who have borne the brunt of corrupt activities – are growing impatient.
- President Ramaphosa will deliver his latest State of the Nation Address tonight at 19h00. Among the retreads of topics from previous years – such as job creation, investment and reviving the economy – the president is also expected to focus his speech on South Africa's emergence from the Covid-19 pandemic, talk around the basic income grant, and also the developments that have taken place over the last year, such as the energy department's progress in opening up electricity procurement. South Africans can also expect a positive spin on notable pain points such as widespread corruption uncovered in the state capture reports and the social unrest and failure of state security in mid-2021.
- The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has sent President Cyril Ramaphosa its report in which it recommends that Supreme Court of Appeals head Mandisa Maya be appointed chief justice. Ramaphosa will now make his decision on who will be the country's highest legal official, a position that has been vacant since October, when former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng retired, after taking long leave in May. By law, Ramaphosa must consult the JSC and leaders of parties in the National Assembly before appointing the new top judge. The submission follows the JSC's interviews with Ramaphosa's selections for chief justice, who were interviewed in public last week. The process has led to an outcry after sexist and politically-motivated questions, poor chairing, and inconsistencies in the treatment of candidates.
- An analysis of rates paid in major metros in South Africa shows that the City of Johannesburg carries the highest cost for an entry-level household. The analysis, conducted by Moneyweb, looked at the cost of rates, refuse removal, water, sewage and electricity in five major metros. After Joburg, Cape Town was the second most expensive, followed by Ekurhuleni. However, due to Ekurhuleni's different price structures, a different tariff plan also made it the cheapest. The main differentiator in the pricing is electricity tariffs, where sourcing power directly from Eskom, or City Power in Joburg, can significantly reduce total costs.