News SA

Tag: GNU

Dead are SA politics – so is the media that has become the walkie-talkie of such zombified politics
Opinion

Dead are SA politics – so is the media that has become the walkie-talkie of such zombified politics

By Oupa Ngwenya: This is because blacks in SA politics do not matter. What residually matters still in SA politics is political parties that too have been guilt-tripped to neglect black people, as a measure of misguided and ill-informed ‘progressivism’ disbelieving that black people do not qualify to serve as the primary source, starting point and centre of concern of politics. Black people’s peripherisation is not by accident but by design. As this black neglect grows, the illusion of splintered uselessed black power scavenges on the carcass of surviving but warring loyalties hoping to outwit each other for centredness in a ‘GNU’ setting that does not hide that all this black neglect is by expressed wish of ‘the markets’ that decreed their preferred coalition formula as...
Ramaphosa upbeat about the economy and investments as he announces measures to crack down on crime and gang violence in his State of the Nation Address
News

Ramaphosa upbeat about the economy and investments as he announces measures to crack down on crime and gang violence in his State of the Nation Address

By Thobile Jiwulane: President Cyril Ramaphosa, during SONA, 12 February 2026 (Image: SA Government) President Cyril Ramaphosa struck an optimistic tone in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) under the Government of National Unity (GNU), telling Parliament on Thursday evening that the multiparty coalition has made progress in stabilising the economy. He announced new measures to tackle crime and corruption, including the deployment of the army to hotspots plagued by gang violence and illegal mining. Ramaphosa used the occasion to link present challenges with historic milestones, paying tribute to the 1956 women who marched against pass laws, the 1976 youth who resisted Afrikaans in black schools, and the adoption of South Africa’s Constitution in 1996. Re...
WHO IS SOBUKWE: Reigniting The Legacy of a Liberation Giant
Politics

WHO IS SOBUKWE: Reigniting The Legacy of a Liberation Giant

By Hlumela Xaba: PAC flag (Image: From the PAC website) A name often forgotten in the lexicon of South Africa’s liberation stalwarts, yet it carries so much gravitas and reverence. I regard the attempted erasure of Mangaliso Robert Sobukwe’s legacy as paradoxical to his contributions in South Africa and the greater continent’s emancipation struggle. Perhaps Sobukwe’s life story as an anti-apartheid political activist was a precursor to his afterlife, where not a single audio of his speeches has ever been made public. I posit the latter with reference to Sobukwe’s banishment to Galashewe in Kimberley upon his release from Robben Island, where he was kept in solitary confinement under the Sobukwe Clause for six years. His banishment was accompanied by an administrative d...
3.5 TRILLION AT RISK: The Public Investment Corporation’s governance collapse demands action, says Holomisa 
Politics

3.5 TRILLION AT RISK: The Public Investment Corporation’s governance collapse demands action, says Holomisa 

UDM President and Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Major-Gen (Rt) Bantu Holomisa writes an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), Songezo Zibi. By Bantu Holomisa: General Bantu Holomisa of the UDM party Dear Mr President and Chairperson Zibi,   1. I had the privilege of attending the extended Cabinet Lekgotla at the end of September 2025, where you, Mr President, emphasised that the fight against corruption and the looting of state resources would be a top priority for the Government of National Unity. You further noted that the current climate of corruption and mismanagement has severely undermined investor confidence and that this situation must be decisiv...
UDM AT 28: A party rooted in accountability and service
Politics

UDM AT 28: A party rooted in accountability and service

By Becker Semela The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has marked its 28th anniversary with a message of reflection, service and a renewed call for accountability in South Africa’s political landscape. Speaking truth to power In a statement to NewsSA, UDM Deputy President and Leader in parliament, Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, used the opportunity to remind South Africans about the party’s founding principles and its role as a voice for integrity and clean governance. “As the UDM marks another year in its journey, we pause to reflect, not with pride alone but with renewed purpose. From its birth in 1997, the movement has never sought glory. It has always sought impact, to stand between power and the people, to guard against complacency and to speak truth to authority,”...
NATIONAL DIALOGUE: Did you know that National Dialogue is for Presidency?
Opinion

NATIONAL DIALOGUE: Did you know that National Dialogue is for Presidency?

By Fumene G. Tsibani: President Cyril Ramaphosa, joined by Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Cabinet ministers, hosts the inaugural meeting of the National Dialogue Eminent Persons Group at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. ( Image: X/GCIS (File) I am personally aware that the National Dialogue in South Africa is led by the Presidency, as mandated by Section 83(c) of the South African Constitution. This emphasizes the President's role in promoting national unity and cohesion through inclusive and people-driven dialogue. As I reflect on the significance of national dialogue in South Africa, it is essential to recognize the President's pivotal role in leading this process, as mandated by Section 83(c) of the South African Constitution. The President's leadership is crucial...
GNU CHALLENGES: Interesting times ahead as the ANC and DA face new dilemmas in the GNU
Politics

GNU CHALLENGES: Interesting times ahead as the ANC and DA face new dilemmas in the GNU

By Pule Monama: An independent political commentator and former leader of the Azanian Peoples Organisation The President of The Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa (Image: Facebook) The DA and the ANC are now at loggerheads, at least in public! Could we say the same thing about them in private? What exactly they are saying to each other in private is anyone's guess. But what we know for certain though, is that what brought them together was the two elephants in the room, the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The DA, on the one hand, would rather go back to the ANC and mend whatever broke their otherwise fragile relationship. On the other hand, a section of the ANC would want the same. But the dilemma the two are facing is whether a coali...
WHY WE SUPPORT: Parties clarify themselves on the national budget to account for their support for it.
Politics

WHY WE SUPPORT: Parties clarify themselves on the national budget to account for their support for it.

By Mpumzi Mshweshwe UDM deputy president Nqabayomzi Kwankwa. (IMAGE: Facebook) \Political parties within and outside the government of national unity have come forward to state their stances on voting in a particular way on the controversial national budget. The United Democratic Movement party (UDM) is one of the parties that came forward to explain their reasons for voting for the national budget with the VAT increase. The party had refuted what it felt was propaganda being spread across social media speculating on why it voted in favour of the VAT hike. Also, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) was vocal on why it supported the budget saying instead of rejecting it completely, it would rather see the hike being applied as a temporary measure. The UDM clarified its position a...