By Mpheni Tshivhase

• Sbonelo Mlaba, 29, walks from Booysens to push trolleys at Joburg City Deep Market, supporting his wife and two children.

• Mlaba says he used to earn R400 to R500 a day, but now sometimes takes home just R150 or R200.

At 3am, while much of Johannesburg is still asleep, Sbonelo Mlaba is already preparing for another day of work.

The 29-year-old makes the journey from Booysens to the Joburg City Deep Market, sometimes on foot, to push trolleys for customers.

Mlaba is a husband and father of two. His wife is unemployed, and the family’s other income comes from the children’s grants.

Four years ago, Mlaba was retrenched from his job at a printing company in Benmore, north of Johannesburg. Since then, pushing trolleys at the market has been his lifeline.

“I had to get a job to support my family. This is an opportunity I got here at the market,” he says.

The Joburg Market is one of the country’s largest fresh-produce markets, selling fruit and vegetables, as well as meat, fish and other groceries, largely at wholesale prices.

For years, Mlaba says, the market was busy enough for him to earn between R400 and R500 a day. But that has changed dramatically.

Mlaba believes the market has been quieter since last month because many of the people who used to shop and trade there left the country amid the tensions surrounding the 30 June anti-immigration protests.

The protests, organised amid growing calls for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, led to fear and disruption in parts of Johannesburg. Many foreign nationals stayed away from businesses and workplaces, while some left the country.

For Mlaba, the impact has been felt in his daily earnings.

“The queue to deposit money here at the market used to be very long, especially in the early hours of the morning. Now, there are just a few people around,” he says.

“Since the 30th of June, I sometimes go home with R150 or R200 a day. We have rent and food to cover, and life has not been the same.”

Mlaba charges between R10 and R30 to push a trolley, depending on the distance. Some customers also give him tips.

“I save every rand I get,” he says.

His work may seem simple, but for Mlaba, the trolley is more than just a means of earning an income. It is what allows him to put food on the table, pay the rent and support his family.

And so, before dawn breaks over Johannesburg, he keeps walking.

Pictured above: Sbonelo Mlaba pushes trolleys at Joburg City Deep Market. He says his daily earnings have dropped sharply since the 30 June protests emptied the market.

Image source: Mpheni Tshivhase

By Rorisang Modiba

• Singer Simphiwe Dana said Nomzamo copied her hairstyle, but Nomzamo explained her hair is part of her personal and political expression.

• She told mothers to teach their daughters to love their natural hair to help build confidence from a young age.

Actress Nomzamo Mbatha has responded after singer Simphiwe Dana accused her of copying her hairstyle.

The Shaka iLembe star spoke to the Sowetan this week and said her hair choices are never random. She said they are about showing who she is, how she feels, and what she wants to say.

“Hair can be a political statement depending on where I am and which red carpet I’m walking on,” said Nomzamo.

She said she chose a bold hairstyle for the Met Gala to make a strong statement. Whether it is a short pixie cut or her natural curls, she said her hair always tells a story.

“It reflects what’s happening around me and how I want to show up in the world.”

She also spoke directly to parents, asking mothers to help their daughters feel proud of their natural hair.

“The sooner they embrace their hair, the better relationship they’ll have with their self-esteem,” she said.

Pictured above: Nomzamo Mbatha. 

Image source: @nomzamo_m

Bonginkosi Khanyile was arrested on Friday for encouraging MK Party members to engage in protest action, similar to the July 2021 unrest, should the party not be on the ballot paper for the 2024 general elections.

This follows “a threat of violence” made by Khanyile during a press briefing in March, in which he allegedly encouraged MK Party members to protest and commit acts of violence all over the country should the party not be on the ballot paper.

“If they remove MK and remove Zuma as the face of the campaign, there won’t be elections in South Africa,” he was reported as saying at the time.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said Khanyile was arrested on Friday because of the statements he made at the March press briefing.

“The essence of the announcement was to instigate the citizens of South Africa to protest and commit acts of violence all over the country should the political party of his choice not be on the ballot paper.

“The announcement also had connotations that the citizens of the country must gather together and loot the country as previously done in July 2021,” he said.

Mogale said Khanyile was arrested on Friday at the Durban Magistrates Court while appearing for the July 2021 case.

He is charged with violating the Riotous Assemblies Act and conspiracy to commit public violence – similar to the July 2021 riots that left more than 300 people dead and parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal mainly in economic ruin. Khanyile was released on bail and will return to court on 23 September 2024.

Compiled by Staff Writer

Pictured Above: Former MK Party Youth Coordinator Bonginkosi Khanyile.
Source: X

By Doreen Mokgolo

ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane has promised that the party will not become a rotting carcass in her lifetime but must reinvigorate itself.

Addressing the media at the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) in Boksburg, Mokonyane said the party had learned the hard way after achieving disappointing results in the 29 May elections.

Discussions on repositioning, repurposing and rebuilding structures in Gauteng, KZN and the Northern Cape are underway.

The party is hosting a six-day NEC and national lekgotla to deliberate on the poor outcomes of the May elections and the state of the organisation. 

It is the party’s first formal sitting since the elections, when its support dropped to 40%. 

Mokonyane said the delayed responses to service delivery challenges affected the party’s support during the elections. 

“Initiatives like [the job programme] Nasi iSpane, the delivery of new transformers, and the fight against load shedding seemed suspicious to the people on the ground, who questioned the period in which they were delivered [before the May elections]. 

“Recruitment of members must go with political education, and making the ANC dynamic must be our primary mission. 

“Our branches of the ANC must not be measured on 100 members but on the programmes in the community with members working in those communities,” Mokonyane said.

The ANC’s head of elections, Mdumiseni Ntuli, rubbished the notion that some members of the party have rejected some of the policies of the Government of National Unity. 

“It is not true that some comrades are unhappy with the GNU. There were discussions when it [unhappiness] was suggested, and because we are not homogenous, there were instances when others held different views, but in the end, the party adopted the policy,” he said. 

Pictured above: ANC leaders.

Source: Supplied

By Doreen Mokgolo

ActionSA in Tshwane has said it won’t join the ANC in voting to remove the DA executive mayor of Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, on Thursday. 

Nevertheless, the party announced plans to work with the ANC in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. Since 2021, ActionSA has been part of the multi-party coalition in the Tshwane council led by the DA. 

Last Friday, ANC leaders in the metro said they would try to remove Brink in Thursday’s council meeting.

ActionSA called the ANC’s plan a cheap trick to disrupt the coalition government’s progress. 

“We won’t be distracted by this political game and will keep focusing on helping Tshwane residents,” it said.

On Monday, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba shared plans for ActionSA to work with the ANC to stabilise Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. 

He made it clear this decision doesn’t affect the party’s coalition in Tshwane. 

“We remain committed to the coalition in Tshwane, despite some issues,” Mashaba said.

Mashaba also said the ANC would help remove the current African Transformation Movement speaker in Tshwane to make room for an ActionSA representative. 

He stressed that the party isn’t joining a coalition with the ANC but working with them to bring stability.

ANC regional secretary George Matjila said they have not officially talked with ActionSA and only heard about their conditions through the media. 

“If they have conditions, they should talk to us directly so we can respond,” he said.

ANC regional leaders met on Tuesday to discuss their next steps and how ActionSA’s demands might affect their plan to remove the mayor.

If they agree, the ANC will submit their motion to the programming department on Wednesday morning.

Pictured above: ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba. 

Source: Doreen Mokgolo 

By Celani Sikhakhane

The ANC’s deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane, said the party joined the government of national unity (GNU) to avoid sitting on the opposition benches in parliament.

Mokonyane was speaking in Durban, where she visited the ANC’s provincial executive committee and their eThekwini regional offices to discuss the party’s problems after their big loss in the 29 May general elections.

She spent the weekend with KZN structures to discuss the election losses and how to avoid them in the future. 

Mokonyane told the media that becoming an opposition party was not an option for the ANC.

Her comments come after the ANC faced strong criticism from their alliance partners, who claim they sold out by joining the GNU with the DA.

“We felt that with all the options available, we could not allow ourselves to sit on the opposition benches. We needed to find a better way to create stability and help South Africa,” said Mokonyane.

Her visit followed reports that the party’s eThekwini regional and provincial leadership might be disbanded due to their poor performance in the election, which led to the ANC losing KwaZulu-Natal, a province they won in 2004 under then-premier Sbu Ndebele and then-president Thabo Mbeki.

Mokonyane dismissed those reports as gossip.

“The NEC [national executive committee] decided to visit provinces to evaluate our election performance. We are building the ANC and energising our structures. 

“Each ANC branch must be a solution provider to the challenges and problems faced by communities,” Mokonyane said.

Pictured above: ANC deputy secretary general Nomvula Mokonyane with the eThekwini regional leadership. 

Source: X

By Zukile Majova
Political Editor

A new agreement between the ANC and ActionSA in Johannesburg is expected to remove Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda this week.

In return for working with the ANC, ActionSA will take over the position of Speaker, while the ANC’s regional leader Dada Morero is expected to be the executive mayor.

This is the latest development in a fallout between the ANC and EFF, which is outside of the government of national unity in the national government.

The ANC has been cutting ties with the EFF in the Ekurhuleni metro as well.

This month, the EFF refused to vote for a proposed R2.5-billion loan that the ANC wants to fund its budget shortfall in the City of Johannesburg.

Despite its R85-billion budget, the city is battling to maintain and replace its ageing infrastructure, including the repair of parts of the CBD that were destroyed in a methane gas explosion last year.

The estimated cost of repairs has ballooned to over R200-million.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said the party was not joining an ANC coalition and had no signed agreement with the ruling party.

“We will allow the ANC and their current partners to run the executive. ActionSA will take over the legislature with some of the committees to be allocated to them to accommodate their current partners.

“ActionSA is going to take over the Speaker position.”

He said the position will allow ActionSA oversight into the running of the city and improve its effectiveness as an opposition party.

Pictured above: Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda is expected to be removed this week.

Source: witsvuvuzela.com

By Sbongile Nonyana

Campaigning for the Student Representative Council (SRC) elections at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) campuses is hotting up.

The 2024-25 elections will be held online from 3 to 5 September and political and other organisations contesting the SRC elections at the six campuses are gearing up to select their nominees following the surprise results of the 29 May general elections.

In the 2022-23 elections, the ANC-aligned South African Students Congress (Sasco) won all six campuses, but last year the EFF Student Command (EFFSC) won five of them.

The current nine-seat SRC consists of the EFF Student Command (4), Sasco (3), the IFP-aligned South African Democratic Student Movement (Sadesmo) and the Students’ Christian Organisation (1).

Other organisations contesting this year’s elections include the ANC Youth League, Democratic Alliance Student Organisation, Umkhonto Wesizwe Youth League, First Year Council, Rise Mzansi and eight others.

Sasco’s Refiloe Mthethwa, deputy secretary of the SRC, said: “Elections at campus level sharpen us as young adults on how to cast our votes.

“It is an interesting process, and the structures will use different strategies to win students’ hearts.”

SRC president Emanuel Makhurupetji of the EFFSC said: “As a leader, it’s either you become a puppet of the management or nothing. It is difficult to lead when some people are taught to hate you.”

Makhurupetji said Sasco would “try by all means to regain power since they’ve struggled a lot this year, and staff members will use their resources to try to ensure Sasco regains power”. 

However, he didn’t think Sasco would win convincingly and that the election result would be a coalition SRC.

Pictured above: Tshwane University of Technology.

Source: Tshwane University of Technology

By Celani Sikhakhane

The Umkhonto Wesizwe party (MK) has decided to keep its secretary-general, Arthur Zwane. 

MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela said on Thursday that party leader, former SA president Jacob Zuma, has rejected Zwane’s resignation letter.

Last week, after a meeting in Bela Bela, Limpopo, Zuma announced that Zwane was no longer secretary-general. 

Zwane was given the boot for not filing MK’s court papers on time to challenge the election results. 

Some sources said Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, was very angry with Zwane over his mistake.

Zwane was also allegedly sacked because he refused Zuma’s order to propose Phumlani Mfeka as the party’s premier candidate for the KZN legislature. 

Instead, Zwane told MK members to nominate Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, the Zulu King’s deputy traditional prime minister.

“After receiving and thinking about Comrade Zwane’s resignation letter, where he said he had too much work and wanted to focus on his private businesses, president Zuma decided not to accept his resignation,” said Ndlela. 

“The main reason is that the MK Party’s huvo [meeting] in Bela Bela set out important tasks for our future challenges,” said Ndlela.

He added that the party is preparing for the 2026 local government elections.

Scrolla.Africa tried to contact Zwane, but his phone was on voicemail.

Pictured above: MK secretary-general Arthur Zwane’s resignation was rejected by Jacob Zuma after he had accepted it last week.

Source: X

By Doreen Mokgolo

Former EFF MP Kenny Motsamai has left the EFF and joined the PA.

He said he felt bullied by younger members. Motsamai and other EFF leaders, including national organiser and MP Patrick Sindane and leaders of the Dudula civic organisation have joined the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

Motsamai and Sindane did not make it onto the EFF lists for parliament or provincial legislatures after the 29 May elections.

At a PA media briefing in Sandton on Thursday, Motsamai said he was sidelined and bullied at the EFF. 

“I don’t want to be bullied or told what is right or wrong when I know what is right and wrong,” he said. 

Motsamai hopes the PA will address land issues and fight illegal immigration.

Sindane, who resigned from the National Assembly in December because he faces charges of rape, said he left the EFF two weeks ago. 

Sindane’s rape case was postponed to August on Monday in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.

“I have played my part at the EFF, but it is my time to serve elsewhere,” he said.

PA deputy president Kenny Kunene is happy that more people recognise his party. 

“We are now a home for many people who thought we started this party as a hobby. We want to see more members of political parties like the Congress of the People joining us,” he said.

Pictured above: New members who joined the PA.

Source: Doreen Mokgolo