ANC MEDIA BRIEFING: MBALULA PRAISES REJECTION OF SHUTDOWN, DEFENDS CORRECTIONAL REFORMS AND PULE CABINET APPOINTMENT

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

MBALULA PRAISES REJECTION OF SHUTDOWN, DEFENDS CORRECTIONAL REFORMS AND PULE CABINET APPOINTMENT

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JOHANNESBURG — Following a tense week of planned national disruptions, African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula addressed the media to outline the party’s stance on immigration, recent high-profile Cabinet appointments, and upcoming legal battles ahead of the November 4 local government elections.

Mbalula praised ordinary South Africans for rejecting calls for a national shutdown on June 30, confirming that schools, clinics, public transport, and businesses operationalized smoothly across the country. However, the briefing quickly pivoted to a fierce defense of the party's governance record and sharp criticisms of political rivals.

Immigration Reform and the 'June 30' Response

Addressing the core anxieties behind recent anti-immigration protests, Mbalula firmly rejected accusations that the ANC-led government has ignored undocumented immigration. He presented two decades of deportation statistics to counter what he termed "political opportunism" from rival parties.

"The numbers do not lie," Mbalula stated, pointing to over 370,000 deportations executed between 2012 and 2016, alongside an upward trajectory from 39,000 removals in the 2023/24 financial year to 57,000 in 2025/26.

Mbalula argued that legal challenges from human rights groups and organizations like the Helen Suzman Foundation—specifically regarding the termination of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP)—have historically acted as the primary checks on government enforcement rather than a lack of political will.

To address the issue structurally, the ANC is promoting a new Continental Compact on Migration in Africa through the African Union. The framework seeks to establish an African refugee responsibility-allocation mechanism, a continental migration data platform, and accelerated trade initiatives to manage the continent's estimated 40.5 million migrants at their economic source. Domestically, a pending bill in Parliament aims to enforce a "first safe country" rule, requiring asylum seekers to claim protection at the first peaceful border they cross.

Defense of Dina Pule’s Cabinet Return

A major focal point of the briefing was the highly scrutinized reappointment of Dina Pule to the National Executive as the new Minister of Social Development. Pule's return comes more than a decade after she was dismissed from her post as Communications Minister in 2013 following adverse findings by the Public Protector and Parliament's Ethics Committee.

Mbalula acknowledged the public concern but pleaded for the principle of political redemption. He noted that Pule had served her sanctions, stepped aside voluntarily before it became formalized policy, and spent years working within grassroots structures to rebuild trust.

MilestoneRole / Status2013Dismissed from Cabinet; sanctioned by Parliament's Ethics Committee2022Elected back to the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC)2023Appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC Women's League2024Returned to the National Assembly as an MP via the public ballot2026Appointed Minister of Social Development by President Ramaphosa

According to Mbalula, Pule has undergone internal ethics counseling and will proactively present herself to the ANC Integrity Committee for further guidance as part of the party’s broader renewal mandate.

Crossfire: Slapping the EFF and MK Party

The Secretary General did not spare opposition movements, singling out the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party for exploiting public frustrations.

• The EFF: Mbalula recalled the January 2022 restaurant "inspections" led by Julius Malema, accusing the party of normalizing the profiling of foreign nationals. "You cannot light the match in 2022 and profess shock at the fire in 2026," he remarked.

• The MK Party: The ANC labeled the political formation an "agent provocateur" on the immigration issue, condemning "demagogic utterances" coming from the Nkandla faction. Mbalula expressed deep disappointment that individuals who once sought refuge in Frontline States like Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania during the anti-apartheid struggle are now fueling xenophobic rhetoric.

Legal and Parliamentary Deadlines

Mbalula clarified the ANC’s position on two developing institutional matters:

1. Eastern Cape Leadership Dispute

Following a June 18 High Court ruling in Makhanda that dissolved the ANC's Provincial Task Team, the party has filed for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal. The ANC maintains that filing this appeal automatically suspends the court order, ensuring organizational stability as the province prepares for local government elections.

2. Section 89 Parliamentary Process

Regarding the ongoing review of the independent panel's report on the President, the ANC stated it would maintain procedural neutrality, potentially participating only as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) to protect constitutional sequencing. The party noted that the committee’s draft Terms of Reference remain open for submissions until Friday, July 10, but suggested that Parliament should logically postpone definitive action until a key court case concludes this coming September.

Sports and Global Politics

The briefing concluded on a dual note regarding Bafana Bafana’s historic progression into the last 32 of the FIFA World Cup. While celebrating the squad's resilience, Mbalula voiced strong ethical objections to the tournament's host nation, citing recent military interventions in the Gulf and ongoing regional conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. He also condemned reports of racial profiling against a Somali international match official, calling out global football governing bodies for remaining silent.

With candidate interviews actively underway across all municipalities, Mbalula asserted that the ANC is unified and disciplined as the countdown to the November 4 elections begins.

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METRO TRANSPORT CORRIDOR PROGRESSING ON TIME: GOLDEN HIGHWAY REHABILITATION TARGETS MID-SEPTEMBER COMPLETION

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

METRO TRANSPORT CORRIDOR PROGRESSING ON TIME: GOLDEN HIGHWAY REHABILITATION TARGETS MID-SEPTEMBER COMPLETION

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JOHANNESBURG — The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has announced that structural construction works along the R553 (Golden Highway) heavy rehabilitation project are moving forward on schedule. Provincial authorities have expressed high confidence that the multi-million rand civil development will meet its targeted practical completion deadline in mid-September 2026.

The strategic rehabilitation stretch spans the high-volume thoroughfare from the R558 intersection to beyond the M68 (Chris Hani Road/Columbine Avenue) intersection. The civil overhaul aims to radically strengthen the road's sub-base layer works, accommodate growing heavy-freight traffic volumes, minimize commuter travel delays, and lengthen the lifecycle of this major arterial spine.

Key Milestone Achievements & Active Operations

Civil teams have successfully completed several key phases of the engineering blueprint, including extensive road widening, the installation of reinforced concrete stormwater drainage networks, and the construction of raised median islands.

Current localized field operations are concentrated on:

• Layer Works and Paving: Preparing underlying material bases and executing fresh asphalt surfacing along primary lanes.

• Intersection Upgrades: Modernizing physical intersection infrastructure and integrating smart electronic traffic signal electronics.

• Finishing Tasks: Implementing road markings, permanent safety guardrails, and structural boundary clearings.

Mitigating Traffic Congestion via Sectional Segregation

To curb localized logjams and preserve commuter safety, the Department has split the corridor into six distinct construction segments, with each measuring approximately four kilometers.

Under strict contractual rules, the main contractor is explicitly prohibited from running total closures or massive disruptions simultaneously. Works are limited to a maximum of three active zones at any given time, maintaining a required four-kilometer buffer space between active sites to ensure smooth traffic diversion.

The project structure is broken down into three main operational nodes:

• Civil Works Achieved: Completed structural road widening, new median islands, and updated stormwater systems.

• Active Site Phases: Currently executing sub-base layer works, deep asphalt surfacing, and intersection traffic signal updates.

• Traffic Flow Rules: Restricting construction to a maximum of 3 active zones out of 6 total sectors, with a mandatory 4km separation buffer.

Vandals Heighten Commuter Safety Risks

A persistent challenge flagged by site engineers is the rampant theft and coordinated vandalism of safety barriers, road delineators, and temporary solar-powered traffic signage between active construction boundaries.

The Department has strongly condemned these acts of economic sabotage, which directly compromise public safety, and has vowed to maintain continuous replacements of traffic accommodation gear until teams demobilize from the corridor.

"Once completed, the upgraded R553 will provide safer and more efficient travel, improve connectivity and support economic activity along this important route," stated Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela. "We are encouraged by the progress made to date and remain focused on ensuring the project gives our people value for money, is completed on time and cost-effectively".

The Department has made an urgent appeal to motorists, minibus taxi operators, and pedestrians to exercise extreme caution, adhere strictly to reduced speed limits inside the active buffer sectors, and utilize regular traffic delay reports issued by the project steering committee to better map out peak-hour travel times.

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MASSIVE JULY FUEL PRICE DROP: PETROL DOWN NEARLY R2, DIESEL SURGES DOWN BY UP TO R3.58

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

MASSIVE JULY FUEL PRICE DROP: PETROL DOWN NEARLY R2, DIESEL SURGES DOWN BY UP TO R3.58

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PRETORIA — The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, has officially announced a massive reduction in domestic fuel prices across South Africa, effective from Wednesday, 1 July 2026.

The significant relief at the pumps is driven by a sharp decline in international Brent Crude oil prices alongside a stronger Rand, successfully offsetting the total expiration of the temporary fuel levy relief mechanism.

The July 2026 Price Adjustments

Drivers and industrial consumers will see direct per-liter reductions across all major liquid fuel categories, while Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPGas) tracks a slight upward adjustment:

Fuel Type	Price Adjustment (Effective 1 July 2026)
Petrol 93 (ULP & LRP)	201.00 cents per litre (c/l) Decrease (~R2.01)
Petrol 95 (ULP & LRP)	196.00 cents per litre (c/l) Decrease (~R1.96)
Diesel 0.05% Sulphur	313.80 cents per litre (c/l) Decrease (~R3.14)
Diesel 0.005% Sulphur	358.80 cents per litre (c/l) Decrease (~R3.59)
Illuminating Paraffin (Wholesale)	523.00 cents per litre (c/l) Decrease (~R5.23)
LPGas (Maximum Retail Price)	16.00 cents per kilogram (c/kg) Increase (R19.00 c/kg increase in Western Cape)

Three Core Drivers Behind the Price Relief

• Plunging Global Crude Oil: The primary catalyst for the drop was a significant collapse in the average price of Brent Crude oil, which plummeted from 104.59 USD down to 86.53 USD during the period under review. Global supply outlooks eased considerably following the signing of a high-profile Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran.

• A Stronger Rand: The South African Rand demonstrated solid appreciation against the US Dollar, moving from a previous average baseline of 16.52 down to 16.38 Rand per USD. This stronger purchasing position knocked down the basic fuel import costs by more than 11c/l for petrol and 13c/l for diesel.

• Lowered Slate Levy: The cumulative slate account—used to compensate oil companies for under-recoveries—maintained a negative balance of R13.32 billion at the end of May. However, the self-adjusting slate levy mechanism dropped by 43.8 c/l, lowering the structural tax pressure from 157.74 c/l to 113.94 c/l.

Reinstatement of Full Fuel Levies

This major relief comes despite the complete phasing out of the government’s short-term general fuel levy interventions. As mandated by the Minister of Finance, the temporary state relief has reached its final expiration date.

Consequently, the full standard statutory levies have been officially reinstated into the structural pricing grid:

• Petrol: Full general fuel levy of 429.00 c/l is now active.

• Diesel: Full general fuel levy of 416.00 c/l is now active.

Because the underlying international product prices fell so sharply, the reintroduction of these full taxes was entirely absorbed, allowing the massive net decreases to pass directly to consumers.

Quarterly Octane Adjustments and Saldanha LPGas Caps

In line with official industry rules, the quarterly price-marker differential between 95 and 93 octane grades has been recalibrated. Retail price gaps will vary slightly across different interior and coastal Magisterial District Zones (MDZ).

Concurrently, the Maximum Refinery Gate Price (MRGP) for LPGas imported through the Port of Saldanha Bay has been capped at R18 370.34 per metric ton, establishing a maximum retail ceiling of R40.84 per kilogram to protect consumers from localized winter pricing spikes.

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STATE ENDS PRIVATE CONTRACT: DCS ASSUMES FULL CONTROL OF MANGAUNG PRISON, RENAMES IT GROOTVLEI MAXIMUM

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

STATE ENDS PRIVATE CONTRACT: DCS ASSUMES FULL CONTROL OF MANGAUNG PRISON, RENAMES IT GROOTVLEI MAXIMUM

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BLOEMFONTEIN — The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has officially assumed full operational and management responsibility for the controversial Mangaung Correctional Centre, immediately stripping the facility of its private branding and renaming it the Grootvlei Maximum Correctional Centre.

The transition marks the definitive end of a 25-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement between the state and Bloemfontein Correctional Contracts (BCC), which was famously operated by multinational private security firm G4S. The contract officially expired at midnight on 30 June 2026, forcing a historic handover oversaw by National Commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale.

Integration into the Grootvlei Management Area

Moving forward, the high-security facility will be structurally integrated directly into the state’s regional framework, operating as a three-tier asset under the Grootvlei Management Area within the Free State and Northern Cape region.

DCS confirmed that all operational procedures will now strictly comply with the Correctional Services Act, 1998 (Act No. 111 of 1998). According to the department, the facility remains fully functional, with multi-phase transition workflows ensuring zero disruption to daily security routines, basic inmate care, or specialized rehabilitation programs.

Overcoming the Shadow of the Thabo Bester Escape

The facility has been a focal point of intense parliamentary and public scrutiny since May 2022, following the high-profile escape of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, who faked his death inside a single cell while under G4S supervision.

To stabilize the prison environment ahead of the state takeover, DCS deployed a specialized task force to manage institutional risks:

• Gang Profiling Strategy: 60 specialized Emergency Support Team (EST) officials were pre-deployed to conduct exhaustive gang profiling exercises and neutralize internal syndicates.

• Infrastructure Audits: State engineering and healthcare teams conducted comprehensive maintenance checks on the complex’s internal assets, ensuring high-volume zones like the central kitchens were fully operational ahead of the July 1 launch deadline.

The Labor Bottleneck and Legal Appeals

While the department has publicly declared a seamless transition, the takeover faces ongoing structural pressure regarding staffing. A total of 668 center-based posts—spanning clinical, security, and administrative sectors—were fast-tracked for recruitment.

However, a major legal dispute remains active in the background:

Operational Variable	Status & Impact
The Labor Court Mandate	In April, the court ruled that DCS must absorb at least 500 private G4S workers formerly stationed at the facility.
The Department's Appeal	DCS has formally appealed the ruling, citing steep fiscal imbalances since G4S private staff are remunerated at a significantly higher baseline than public sector officials.
Interim Contingencies	More than 250 former private guards have independently applied for state positions, while mass busloads of public correctional staff have been deployed to maintain secure cost-coverage ratios.

"As government, we are capable of managing this correctional facility in the manner that we do manage other correctional facilities. We have now taken full control, meaning that every unit function is now under the management of the department," stated National Commissioner Thobakgale.

Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services has welcomed the handover but remains cautious. Committee Chairperson Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng confirmed that DCS has been given a strict 30-day window to submit a comprehensive performance report detailing exact staff integration, final financial expenditures, and long-term stability measures to ensure another Bester-style breach is permanently averted.

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PRIVATE SECTOR IS AN INDISPENSABLE COALITION PARTNER TO SOLVE YOUTH CRISIS AND FOOD SECURITY, DECLARES MINISTER CHIKUNGA

KASiBC AFRiCA©®™ BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR 

PRIVATE SECTOR IS AN INDISPENSABLE COALITION PARTNER TO SOLVE YOUTH CRISIS AND FOOD SECURITY, DECLARES MINISTER CHIKUNGA

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JOHANNESBURG — The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has made a strong call to South Africa's corporate sector to transition from passive social investors into direct structural partners to solve the country's youth unemployment and food accessibility crises.

Speaking at the formal launch of the KFC Africa Impact Report, the Minister highlighted that balancing the country's economic inequities requires aggressive, large-scale public-private partnerships (PPPs) that move beyond mere corporate social responsibility (CSR) symbolism.

The Three Pillars of the KFC Africa Impact Report

The newly released report outlines verified developmental data across three core operational pillars:

• Youth Jobs at Scale: Intentionally structuring corporate workforces to absorb historically excluded young people, backed by targeted skills pathways within the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector.

• Franchising as SMME Acceleration: Utilizing commercial franchise frameworks to actively build, fund, and expand Black-owned enterprises and support emerging entrepreneurs.

• The 'Add Hope' Initiative: Securing grassroots food security by serving more than 180 million meals to vulnerable children through school nutrition and household support networks since 2009.

Aligning Corporate Milestones with the Presidential Youth Framework

Minister Chikunga praised KFC Africa’s active role as a key corporate partner in the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative, an implementation model that has transitioned over 200,000 young South Africans into formal 12-month workplace placements.

She contextualized these corporate results within the state's broader Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI) framework, detailing the current scale of the national digital gate network:

National PYEI Pathway Component	Current Verified Scale / Placements
Total Reach Across Programmatic Pathways	Over 5,000,000 young South Africans
Active Registrations on the 'SA Youth' Digital Gateway	2,360,000 young people
Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) Placements	402,515 formal jobs & learnerships

Re-Evaluating the Contradictions of Domestic Food Insecurity

The Minister highlighted a sharp structural contradiction in the domestic economy: South Africa remains a top agricultural exporter on the African continent, yet millions of its own citizens face severe hunger.

Citing the latest official Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) Food Security Report, she detailed a worrying multi-year increase in household vulnerability driven by financial access rather than a lack of food supply:

• Moderate to Severe Household Food Insecurity: Tracked a steady upward climb, expanding from 15.8% in 2019 to 16.2% in 2022, and hitting a severe high of 19.7% in the latest reporting cycles.

• Severe Household Food Insecurity (Chronic Hunger Nodes): Escalated directly from 6.4% in 2019, up to 7.5% in 2022, and now sits at 8.0% of all domestic households nationwide.

Five Strategic Pillars for Public-Private Collaboration

To systematically close the gap between food availability and financial accessibility, the Minister challenged the private sector to collaborate across five structural areas:

• 1. Transitioning Emerging Farmers: Moving young Black, women, and disabled farmers from subsistence fields into commercial agribusiness owners by securing extension services, patient capital, and fixed supply-chain off-take agreements.

• 2. Unlocking Continental Markets: Assisting youth-led enterprises to scale up beyond small local footprints to access the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), tap into 1.4 billion consumers, and utilize a combined US$3.4 trillion regional GDP.

• 3. Scaling Hospitality Absorption: Partnering with government to integrate youth-owned SMMEs directly into corporate procurement lines and large-scale distribution supply systems.

• 4. Democratizing the Platform Economy: Expanding affordable, high-speed digital infrastructure and data packages into remote rural nodes, informal settlements, and townships where digitally literate youths are already creating content and trading online.

• 5. Enforcing Reparative Food Sovereignty: Re-engineering local distribution frameworks to ensure that marginalized communities gain permanent ownership and predictable, physical access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food systems.

"Every young South African who enters an agricultural value chain, a food services enterprise, or a hospitality business must have a clear exit pathway in place. This is what youth economic inclusion means, substantively," Minister Chikunga concluded, re-affirming that the state stands ready to match private sector investments with responsive policy support.

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