ANC WELCOMES LANDMARK TONGAAT HULETT AGREEMENT TO SAFEGUARD 250,000 JOBS AND STABILIZE SUGAR SECTOR

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

ANC WELCOMES LANDMARK TONGAAT HULETT AGREEMENT TO SAFEGUARD 250,000 JOBS AND STABILIZE SUGAR SECTOR

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PRETORIA — The African National Congress (ANC) has formally welcomed the conclusion of a binding agreement between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the business rescue practitioners of Tongaat Hulett, and the Vision Group. The deal effectively safeguards approximately 250,000 jobs and stabilizes one of South Africa’s most critical agricultural industries.

The ruling party hailed the landmark agreement as a vital victory for the country's developmental agenda, noting that it successfully preserves productive capacity, protects rural livelihoods, and restores confidence in the domestic sugar sector.

Key Pillars of the Recovery Agreement

The successful rescue operation hinges on a coordinated effort between state institutions and private investors:

• Post-Commencement Finance: The IDC provided critical financial lifelines and restructuring measures that fortified Tongaat Hulett's capital structure for long-term viability.

• Strategic Private Investment: The Vision Group has entered as a long-term investor, committing to inject capital into operations, support local growers, and secure downstream supply chains.

• Government Oversight: The intervention was heavily supported by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), led by Minister Parks Tau.

"The safeguarding of jobs and the rescue of the company from liquidation are consistent with the developmental mandate of the IDC to support industrial capacity, protect employment, and promote broad-based economic participation," the ANC stated.

A Pattern of "Developmental State" Interventions

The ANC highlighted that the Tongaat Hulett rescue follows on the heels of another major employment intervention—the safeguarding of more than 22,000 retail jobs at Pick n Pay, spearheaded by Department of Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth.

According to the party, these consecutive interventions demonstrate the rising efficacy of a collaborative "developmental state" model working hand-in-hand with business, organized labor, and agricultural stakeholders.

Moving forward, the ANC reaffirmed its commitment to fostering an investment-friendly environment, driving industrialization, and deploying coordinated state action to defend key economic sectors from collapse.

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EFF Applauds Notice for Electoral Matters Amendment Bill to Introduce Automatic Voter Registration

EFF Champions Elimination of Administrative Barriers to Democracy

JOHANNESBURG — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has formally welcomed the publication of the notice to introduce the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill, 2026. Spearheaded by EFF President and Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema, the proposed legislative amendment aims to fundamentally overhaul South Africa's electoral framework by implementing automatic voter registration.

The party describes the bill as a progressive and necessary intervention to eliminate persistent structural barriers to voting, ensuring that every eligible citizen is seamlessly included in the national voters' roll without administrative obstacles.

Overcoming Cost Barriers and Modern Exclusion

The EFF highlights that South Africa's current registration model disproportionately disenfranchises the population, particularly the youth. The party points out that the current reliance on digital registration systems creates an artificial economic barrier:

• Prohibitive Data Costs: The requirement to register online shifts the financial burden of data bundles onto cash-strapped citizens.

• Device Inequality: The system favors individuals who own expensive smart devices.

• Systemic Bottlenecks: Current limitations, such as restricting voter registration to a single mobile number, stifle mass registration efforts.

"These constraints have made democracy expensive and accessible only to those who can afford it—mainly the wealthy black elites and the white constituency," the EFF stated.

Mobilizing Youth for Radical Transformation

According to the party, low voter turnout among young South Africans is driven by a combination of inadequate political education and a lack of accessible registration opportunities. Many young citizens who wish to cast their ballots are routinely turned away on election days simply due to missed registration deadlines.

The EFF maintains that the concentration of wealth and economic opportunities remains heavily skewed in favor of a minority. The party asserts that automatic voter registration will serve as a vital tool to empower the youth, allowing them to use their collective voting power as an instrument for radical societal and economic transformation.

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MK PARTY FIRES DUDUZILE ZUMA AND NHLAMULO NDHLELA IN RADICAL PURGE; CONFIRMS ELECTION READINESS AND IMMIGRATION MARCH SUPPORT

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​BY: CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS | ONLINE EDITOR, KASiBC_AFRiCA

Published: June 19, 2026

​MK PARTY FIRES DUDUZILE ZUMA AND NHLAMULO NDHLELA IN RADICAL PURGE; CONFIRMS ELECTION READINESS AND IMMIGRATION MARCH SUPPORT

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JOHANNESBURG — In a dramatic political development shaking the core of South Africa’s opposition landscape, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) has announced the immediate expulsion of high-profile figures Ms. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla and former national spokesperson Mr. Nhlamulo Ndhlela.

​The decision, delivered by MK Party Secretary-General Sibonelo Nomvalo during an urgent media briefing, aims to forcefully counter public narratives that the political movement operates as a "family stokvel" rather than a disciplined constitutional entity.

​Alongside this internal purge, the party reaffirmed its total readiness for the upcoming Local Government Elections, endorsed an upcoming high-stakes immigration march, and issued a strict ultimatum regarding organizational discipline.

​The Breaking Point: Subversion, Factionalism, and the Ntshingila Controversy

​According to official party statements, the National Officials resolved to terminate both memberships after a cumulative series of unauthorized public declarations, social media campaigns, and factional maneuverings directly challenged the established collective leadership.

​Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla

​The high-profile daughter of party leader Jacob Zuma was cited for repeated public and social media statements that discredited internal leadership structures, actively promoted factional narratives, and compromised the party's constitutional order by airing internal grievances publicly.

​Nhlamulo Ndhlela

​The former national spokesperson was found to have consistently acted without organizational mandates, notably convening unapproved press briefings, misrepresenting party positions, and establishing competing centers of internal influence.

​The Catalyst for Expulsion: The final straw for the party hierarchy involved the severe mishandling of events surrounding the late MK Party Member of Parliament, Muzi Ntshingila. The party revealed with "serious concern" that Zuma-Sambudla and Ndhlela coordinated the unauthorized transfer of an ailing Mr. Ntshingila to an alternative medical facility without his family's consent or knowledge. Furthermore, personal items were removed from his parliamentary residence without family notification.

​Despite explicit instructions from Parliamentary Leader Dr. John Hlophe to stay away from the funeral and cease provocative social media commentary regarding the deceased’s marital status, both figures openly defied the party line. The MK Party has since issued a formal public apology to the grieving Ntshingila family.

​The expulsions were formally executed under Section "2h" of the MK Party Constitution, invoking ultimate presidential decrees to protect the stability and policy direction of the movement.

​Local Government Election Machine at "Full Speed"

​Shifting focus from internal rifts to the national ballot, the MK Party announced that its Regional and Provincial Elections Task Teams are working at full capacity. The official Nominations Framework and Election Guidelines are being rolled out immediately to anchor a transparent, rigorous candidate selection process.

​With voter registration weekend actively underway across thousands of voting districts, the party leadership issued an urgent rallying cry to all eligible South African voters:

• ​Verify Registrations: Check voting statuses within respective home districts.
• ​Mobilize Communities: Support localized councillor candidates to push the MK Party platform forward.
• ​Active Participation: Exercise democratic rights to reshape community infrastructure.

​Zero Tolerance for Parallel Structures

​Addressing localized acts of insubordination, the party strictly condemned members who participated in a rogue, parallel Youth Day program in Limpopo on June 16, drawing a sharp contrast against the successful, official Mpumalanga Youth Day assembly overseen by the party's young Members of Parliament.

​Leadership clarified that any deliberate creation of alternative programs or parallel structures designed to confuse the electorate will be met with immediate, decisive disciplinary action.

​Stance on the Upcoming June 30 Immigration Protest

​The party officially confirmed it will participate in the national protest action scheduled for June 30, 2026, targeting the strict enforcement of immigration frameworks and calling for the removal of undocumented individuals from South Africa.

​While fully endorsing the core focus of the march, the MK Party high command issued a stern warning to its base:

• ​Absolute Lawfulness: All participants must demonstrate unyielding discipline.
• ​Condemnation of Violence: The party completely disavows any looting, property destruction, or intimidation tactics.
• ​Cooperation with Authorities: Total respect for law enforcement agencies is non-negotiable.

​The official statement concluded with an appeal to all structures to rally around the central leadership of President Jacob Zuma to protect the party’s political momentum ahead of the fast-approaching local government elections.

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COMMERCIAL DIPLOMACY: Tech Minister Solly Malatsi and US Ambassador Brent Bozell Convene Talks to Unlock Digital Economy Billions

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA 

COMMERCIAL DIPLOMACY: Tech Minister Solly Malatsi and US Ambassador Brent Bozell Convene Talks to Unlock Digital Economy Billions

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PRETORIA — South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, held a crucial bilateral meeting on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, with the newly accredited United States Ambassador to South Africa, L. Brent Bozell III, to forge deeper ties in the rapidly growing information and communications technology (ICT) sector.  

​

The high-level engagement marked a critical step forward in South Africa's digital transformation agenda under the Government of National Unity (GNU). The two leaders mapped out expansive avenues for infrastructure funding, cross-border innovation, and tech-driven economic growth.  

​Infrastructure, Investment, and the Reciprocity Challenge

​The discussion actively leaned into the immense, untapped potential of the domestic digital ecosystem, focusing directly on expanding internet connectivity, onboarding robust cybersecurity frameworks, and attracting massive American venture capital.  

​However, the high-stakes meeting also comes on the heels of candid warnings from the US delegation regarding regulatory blockades. 

Earlier this year, Ambassador Bozell cautioned that while tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Visa have poured billions into South Africa’s digital footprint, future capital deployment is contingent on absolute policy certainty.  

Bozell previously flagged deep-seated American investor anxieties concerning local property rights, the Expropriation Act, and the rigid structural configuration of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rules, arguing that global capital naturally routes to environments with predictable frameworks.

​Aligning Strategic Reform Agendas

​Minister Malatsi emphasized that strategic international partnerships are a non-negotiable prerequisite to expanding connectivity for historical frontline communities and driving an inclusive digital society.

​The Department is actively pushing a pro-growth, pro-entrepreneurship reform mandate to build a world-class environment for tech startups. To achieve this, the Ministry and the US Embassy are seeking to harmonize shared commercial interests:

Key Strategic Focus Area	Joint Bilateral Objectives	Primary Economic Benefit
Digital Infrastructure	Accelerating fiber and 5G rollouts via private US equity.	Eliminates the rural digital divide and expands cloud access.
Reciprocal Trade	Ensuring fair market access and stable investor regulations.	Incentivizes an additional wave of global tech expansions.
Workforce Innovation	Scaling local tech training, software development, and AI skills.	Drives immediate high-skill job creation for SA youth.

​“Our discussion highlighted the significant untapped potential for greater economic collaboration, particularly in the information and communications technology sector. We recognized that there are many areas where South Africa and the United States can work together to advance shared interests and prosperity,” Minister Malatsi reflected following the engagement.

  

​The ongoing diplomatic and commercial talks signal a mutual willingness to transcend broader geopolitical disagreements. By addressing regulatory friction points directly, both nations are looking to systematically double the number of operational American firms in South Africa—expanding employment well beyond the current 250,000 jobs already generated by US commercial diplomacy.  

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BORDER LINE FLASHPONT: DA Demands Urgent Multi-Committee Parliamentary Blitz to Defuse Xenophobic June 30 Deadline

BY : CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE EDITOR KASiBC_AFRiCA

BORDER LINE FLASHPONT: DA Demands Urgent Multi-Committee Parliamentary Blitz to Defuse Xenophobic June 30 Deadline

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CAPE TOWN — In a major political move to head off impending bloodshed, Democratic Alliance (DA) Chief Whip Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach MP has formally written to her ANC counterpart demanding an immediate, joint multi-committee parliamentary sit-down of the country's entire Security Cluster.

​The high-stakes legislative intervention, launched on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, aims to completely neutralize a looming national crisis triggered by extremist activist groups who have issued a public, self-imposed 30 June 2026 deadline demanding the violent or forced removal of all undocumented foreign nationals from South Africa.

​Pre-Deadline Panic Cascades Across Suburbs

​

The DA's urgent letter follows a series of deeply alarming intelligence briefs and field reports signaling that communities across multiple provinces are already plunging into panic:

​Displaced Communities: Dozens of foreign national families are reportedly fleeing their residential homes in vulnerable townships ahead of the winter deadline.

​Commercial Targets: Small businesses, tuck shops, and informal traders owned by immigrants are facing intimidation, extortion, and targeted threats.

​State Inaction: The DA heavily criticized the state apparatus, warning that while an unaccountable organization is actively sowing division and fear, law enforcement has done very little to arrest the explicit instigators behind the threats.

​Activating the Six-Committee Security Shield

​Breytenbach argued that while the executive branch of the Government of National Unity (GNU) has released measured press statements, Parliament must take a far more aggressive stance to protect lives and enforce the rule of law.

​"We cannot allow rogue entities to set societal 'deadlines' backed by explicit threats of violence and coordinated criminality. That is a dangerous, slippery slope toward absolute lawlessness. Parliament has a non-negotiable responsibility to frontally confront this issue and to develop hard solutions that protect communities while fiercely upholding the rule of law," asserted Breytenbach.

​

The DA's proposed legislative strategy requires an immediate joint assembly of six critical parliamentary oversight committees to build a unified defensive response:

Required Security Committee	Core Jurisdictional Mandate in Crisis	Strategic Anti-Violence Objective
Police & State Security	Active intelligence-driven monitoring and deployments.	Activating early-warning systems to trap instigators.
Home Affairs & Defence	Border control systems and immigration status regulation.	Providing a lawful, institutional framework for migration.
Justice & International Relations	Fast-tracking prosecutions and managing regional diplomacy.	Ensuring human rights compliance while preserving foreign ties.

Testing the Unity of the GNU

​The unfolding crisis represents one of the most volatile internal policy and security tests for South Africa's newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU).

​The DA has framed the issue as a collective challenge that requires absolute cooperation across all governing partners, specifically calling on the ANC to stop treating immigration enforcement as a passive issue.

​Breytenbach concluded by warning that the South African Police Service (SAPS) cannot afford to repeat the catastrophic command failures of previous xenophobic outbreaks, emphasizing that the early warning signs are entirely visible right now and demanding that the state act decisively before innocent lives are lost.

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