Governance & Politics - 22 April 2024

22 Apr 2024

GOVERNANCE & POLITICS

• Zambia. The mining investment arm of Abu Dhabi’s most valuable company has offered to buy a majority stake in Vedanta Resources’ Zambian copper assets, two sources familiar with the matter said. This is part of its drive to build an African copper mining empire. The unit of International Holding Co recently made an offer of more than $1bn (R19bn) to buy a 51% stake in Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) from Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta, the sources said. The unit — International Resources Holding (IRH) — is racing to broaden its burgeoning copper mining business in Zambia after buying a 51% stake in Mopani Copper Mines in a deal worth $1.1bn. (Source)

• Parties barred from election. The Electoral Court ruled that four political parties – the Labour Party of South Africa, Ace Magashule’s African Congress for Transformation, All African Allied Congress, and an independent candidate Sipho Malapane – have failed to comply with the election timetable by not submitting National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures lists. The deadline for political parties and independent candidates looking to contest the election was set for 8 March. (Source)

• ANC asks donors to circumvent disclosure limits. As part of its fundraising efforts leading up to the 29 May polls, the ANC has asked potential donors to limit their contributions to the party to a maximum of R99 000, circumventing the disclosure limit set out in the Political Party Funding Act. The act requires that political parties declare all donations of more than R100 000. (Source)

• Patriotic Alliance takes on DA in Western Cape. Patriotic Alliance president and Western Cape premier candidate Gayton McKenzie announced the names of five mainly rural parties and their leaders who have opted not to contest the general elections and will instead campaign in favour of the PA. McKenzie will campaign in Cape Town as winning the battle of the province relies on the Cape Town metro, where two million of Western Cape’s three million registered voters live. While he wants to replace the DA in the province, he said working with the party was not off the table. (Source)

• Zuma now MK party leader. Former president Jacob Zuma is now officially the leader of the uMkhonto WeSizwe party, replacing Jabulani Khumalo who had initially registered the party with the Electoral Commission of SA. This means Zuma’s face will appear on the national ballot paper for MK instead of Khumalo after the newly formed political party informed the Commission of the leadership changes. (Source)

• Immigration white paper approved. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the cabinet has approved a white paper overhauling the country’s immigration laws. However, while the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection had been gazetted, there were amendments that needed to be made to the legislation before it could be passed into law. (Source)

• Public sector strike threat. Popcru, Sapu and Nehawu are threatening to down tools over the government’s insistence on a 4.7% pay rise this year. This offer covers the last leg of the two-year remuneration deal that public sector trade unions accepted in April 2023, with a 7.5% increase in 2023, and by a projected consumer inflation rate in 2024. Minister of Public Service and Administration Noxolo Kiviet eventually settled on 4.7%, which was implemented on 1 April. Unions have argued that the pay rise offer will make it difficult to claw back losses suffered during a period in which the government implemented a pay freeze. (Source)