Summon Minister Buthelezi over R800 Million Suspension Scandal

Summon Minister Buthelezi over R800 Million Suspension Scandal

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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DA calls on Portfolio Committee Chair to Summon Minister Buthelezi over R800 Million Suspension Scandal

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, urgently requesting that the Minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi, be summoned to account for the alarming misuse of public funds highlighted in yesterday’s media reports.

According to the Sunday Times, approximately R800 million of taxpayers’ money is spent each year on the salaries of hundreds of suspended public servants, many of whom have remained at home for years while their cases remain unresolved.

This is not a minor administrative issue. It points to a serious breakdown in accountability across all spheres of government.

The report shows that at least 674 provincial and national officials are currently suspended, most of them well beyond the 90-day guideline. In some cases, individuals have remained on paid suspension for years, even after disciplinary processes have concluded.

Municipalities, already under intense financial pressure, are among the hardest hit, with millions of Rands lost due to prolonged, unresolved suspensions.

There are also growing concerns that lengthy suspensions are being misused either to quietly remove officials from their posts or to delay accountability processes, thereby allowing misconduct to continue unchecked.

At a time when service delivery is collapsing in many communities and every Rand counts, it is unacceptable that so much public money is being spent on officials who are not working and are not held to account. Parliament cannot afford to look away while this situation continues.

The DA therefore calls on the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee to urgently summon the Minister to account for the scale of precautionary suspensions across government, and:

⁠Explain why disciplinary processes are routinely allowed to exceed legal and regulatory timeframes.

⁠Set out clear steps to ensure suspensions are properly managed and time-bound.

⁠Provide a plan to recover funds where maladministration or abuse is identified.

The Minister must also explain the apparent failure of oversight within departments and the lack of consequences for those responsible for prolonged delays.

South Africans deserve a public service that is accountable, efficient, and focused on delivery, not one in which employees are paid for years while cases drag on without resolution. The DA will continue to use all parliamentary mechanisms at its disposal to enforce accountability and safeguard public funds.

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JABULANI KHUMALO’S LATEST DEFEAT COURT

JABULANI KHUMALO’S LATEST DEFEAT COURT

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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JABULANI KHUMALO’S LATEST DEFEAT CONFIRMS PATTERN OF FRIVOLOUS LITIGATION AGAINST THE MK PARTY 

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (“MK Party”) notes the judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissing, with costs, yet another application brought by Mr Jabulani Khumalo. This marks the seventh unsuccessful legal attempt by Khumalo against matters relating to the MK Party. Across every level of South Africa’s judicial system, including the Electoral Court, the High Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and even the Constitutional Court, Khumalo has failed to secure a single favourable outcome. 

His litigation record is not only consistently unsuccessful, but has in most instances attracted punitive costs orders, underscoring the courts’ clear disapproval of his conduct. This latest ruling reaffirms what has become increasingly evident, Mr Khumalo’s legal actions lack merit and substance. His persistence in pursuing baseless claims raises serious questions about the true source of funding behind these repeated court challenges. 

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that these efforts are being sponsored and driven by political opponents of the MK Party, who seek to achieve through the courts what they cannot win democratically. 

The MK Party will not allow its resources to be drained by opportunistic and vexatious litigation.

 Accordingly, the Party has instructed its legal representatives to pursue full recovery of all legal costs owed by Mr Khumalo, which now amount to millions of Rands. Every cent will be pursued with the seriousness it deserves. 

We remain focused on our mandate to serve the people of South Africa and will not be distracted by individuals intent on abusing the judicial system for political ends. 

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Bouwer Van Niekerk Arrest must lead to Masterminds

Bouwer Van Niekerk Arrest must lead to Masterminds

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the arrest of a suspect in connection with the murder of Johannesburg attorney, Bouwer van Niekerk, in September 2025.

Van Niekerk was gunned down in his Saxonwold office by criminals posing as prospective clients, while accomplices waited outside in a getaway vehicle, a clear indication of a coordinated and premeditated attack.

While this arrest marks progress, it cannot be mistaken for justice.

The DA will be closely monitoring this case as it unfolds. It is critical that this investigation does not end with the arrest of an alleged hitman, but that it leads to the identification and prosecution of those who planned, financed, and authorised this killing.

Reports that Van Niekerk had received threats linked to a matter involving an alleged cryptocurrency scheme further point to the possibility of a broader criminal network behind the murder.

South Africans are all too familiar with cases where those who pull the trigger are arrested, while those who give the orders escape accountability.

The DA calls on the South African Police Service to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that every individual involved is brought to justice.

Anything less would be a failure of the justice system.

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PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA VISITS ZIMBABWE

PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA VISITS ZIMBABWE 

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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Ramaphosa’s Zim visit shows SA’s support for entrenching ZANU-PF dictatorship

The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns, in the strongest possible terms, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s unofficial visit to Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s private residence on Sunday. This visit takes place as the ruling ZANU-PF attempts to entrench its dictatorship in Zimbabwean law through the recently gazetted Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3, which would introduce far-reaching proposals to usher in extended and potentially limitless presidential terms for the ZANU-PF under the guise of technical reforms to electoral cycles and governance structures.

It is deeply telling that both President Ramaphosa and International Relations and Cooperation Minister (DIRCO), Ronald Lamola, remained deafeningly silent when President Mnangagwa and his regime arrested and detained Zimbabwean opposition leader, Tendai Biti on the afternoon of 21 March 2026. Biti, who is the leader of the Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF), was detained by state authorities along with other party members and a local journalist in the town of Mutare while trying to incentivise greater public participation in the proposed constitutional amendment.

While the Presidency has tried to spin this visit as an “in-person catch-up between two neighbours”, it is blatantly clear that once again South African foreign policy under the African National Congress (ANC) continues to sideline our constitutional values of freedom, democracy, and human rights in favour of propping up the African fraternity of despots and dictators the ANC relies on for regional support.

Furthermore, the presence of Zimbabwean businessmen Wicknell Chivhayo and Kudakwashe Tagwirei, known colloquially as the Zimbabwean Guptas, raises serious questions around President Ramaphosa’s semblant support for regional corruption and state capture on an international scale. What was the point of the R1 billion Zondo Commission if President Ramaphosa himself has learned nothing from the outcome?

Zimbabwe’s democratic backslide is the sole reason for the immigration crisis South Africa has been subjected to since the late 90s, which places a tremendous burden on civic and social services, and stokes violent societal division in our country. It is not the people of Zimbabwe who are to blame for fleeing to South Africa for a better life, it is President Ramaphosa and the ANC who continue to ignore human rights abuses and democratic capture in their own backyard out of pure political expediency.

Populist South African politicians who continue to stoke the flames of xenophobia and ethnic hatred in our country are merely capitalising on the symptom of a problem the ANC itself has created. For as long as South Africa refuses to stand up and condemn dictators and human rights abusers on our continent, our country will forever be the only place of asylum for the refugees the ANC continues to create. This is yet another example of the ANC’s diplomatic hypocrisy as it selectively addresses human rights abuses elsewhere in the world while ignoring the same acts just next door. The ANC does not address human rights abuses out of principle, it only does so where it can gain political mileage.

It is blatantly clear that the ANC has no interest in the regional stability of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) or its members as the South African government continues to pretend that nothing is wrong in neighbouring democracies, that civilians are not massacred in the streets by their governments, or that opposition is violently stifled and contained. The ANC’s cognitive dissonance between South Africa’s diplomatic responsibilities as a regional power and its own interests as a political party is the single largest threat to SADC’s stability and prosperity.

As a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA rejects the ANC’s attempts to openly fraternise with neighbouring dictators and deny the lived reality of millions of persecuted Zimbabweans who live in international limbo as a result. It is unsustainable and deeply unprincipled for the ANC to maintain the status quo of democratic capture on the African continent. Tens of thousands of South Africans lost their lives in the fight for freedom, yet today’s ANC sits side by side with the enemies of freedom across the continent.

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City Power’s Weekly Planned Maintenance Across the Network

City Power’s Weekly Planned Maintenance Across the Network

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

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City Power’s Weekly Planned Maintenance Across the Network (04 – 10 May 2026) Time: 15:00  

City Power would like to advise customers that planned maintenance will be conducted across various Service Delivery Centres (SDCs) during the week of 04 to 10 May 2026. This work forms part of ongoing efforts to service critical infrastructure, address ageing components, and improve overall network reliability. 

The planned maintenance schedule is as follows: • At Clear Water Switching Station in the Roodepoort SDC, planned maintenance is scheduled for Monday, 4 May 2026, from 08h00 to 16h00, affecting Clear Water Mall. • On Tuesday, 5 May 2026, several SDCs will undergo planned maintenance.  

At Moffat Substation in the Reuven SDC, work will take place from 08h00 to 16h00, affecting Fresh Produce, Market Boundary 1, South Hills Estate Cab Ground 1, and South Hills Estate Cab Ground 2.  At Modderfontein Substation in the Midrand SDC, planned maintenance is scheduled from 08h00 to 14h00, affecting Ammonia. 

At Houtkoppen Substation in the Randburg SDC, work will take place from 09h00 to 17h00, affecting Boxer Road, Derby Drive, Dexter Road, Bellairs Drive, Hyperion Drive, and Blandford Road. 

 On Wednesday, 6 May 2026, planned maintenance will be conducted at Vorna Valley Substation in the Midrand SDC from 08h00 to 14h00, affecting Vorna Valley (all streets) and Kyalami Estate (all streets). 

On the same day, planned maintenance will also take place at Groblersrus Switching Station in the Roodepoort SDC from 08h00 to 16h00, affecting Groblersrus Flats and parts of Witpoortjie. 

On Thursday, 7 May 2026, planned maintenance will continue at Vorna Valley Substation in the Midrand SDC from 08h00 to 14h00, affecting Vorna Valley (all streets) and Kyalami Estate (all streets). 

At Orlando (Industria) Substation in the Hursthill SDC, planned maintenance is scheduled for Saturday, 9 May 2026, from 09h00 to 17h00. Areas affected include Watt Street, George Stott, Parson Street, Bunsen Street, Industria North, Springbok Street, Maraisburg Road, Breweries Riverlea, Bunsen Street South, Slovo Crosby Standby, Slovo Crosby No.1 and 2, Vega Street No.1, 2 and 3, Riverlea, Bosmont, Longdale, Lowenthal, Paarlshoop, Maraisburg, Noble Street, Industria West, Industria South, Yeast Pro No. 2, Eastern Industria, and Maraisburg North. 

Planned maintenance is necessary to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of the electricity network. Much of the infrastructure across the city has been in service for several decades and requires routine servicing and replacement to prevent failures. 

Through this work, City Power is able to identify and address potential faults before they result in unplanned outages, which are often more disruptive and take longer to restore. This work also supports efforts to strengthen network performance, manage load more effectively, and maintain safety standards for both employees and the public. 

Customers are reminded that supply may be restored at any time once work is completed and are urged to treat all electrical points as live. City Power regrets the inconvenience that may be caused and thanks customers for their cooperation as the organisation continues to invest in maintaining and stabilising the electricity network. 

For further information or to log a service request, customers can contact the City Power Call Centre on 011 490 7484 or the toll-free number 0800 202 925, or visit www.citypower.mobi  

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