Politics

The political honeymoon where opposition parties treated President Cyril Ramaphosa with kid gloves is well and truly over.

Numbers don’t lie. After joining forces with the EFF, the ANC suddenly has the upper hand in the IFP heartland of Nongoma in Zululand.

The auditor-general has flagged over R1.5 billion as irregular expenditure in the eThekwini Metro.

Three by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal, in Dannhauser, Mtubatuba, and Msunduzi, set tensions rising - and that was even before a single vote was cast on Wednesday.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma could find herself in trouble with the ANC after voting in favour of the Phala Phala report in Parliament on Tuesday.

As early as 6am on Wednesday, members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) had already set up information desks outside various voting stations at Ditsobotla Local Municipality.

Philani Mavundla has been voted out as deputy mayor of eThekwini Municipality.

As President Cyril Ramaphosa fights for his political survival amid the blazing Phala Phala flames Parliament pushed the debate of the Section 89 panel report to next Tuesday.

The IFP has sacked Mletheni Ndlovu, the embattled mayor of Msinga.

A standoff between ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile and national chairperson Gwede Mantashe over the Phala Phala fallout collapsed a special meeting of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) on Friday.

The IFP has emerged from the recent high-stakes by-elections as the biggest winner after snatching the crucial Ward 5 in Mthonjaneni in KwaZulu-Natal from the ANC.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fate over the Phala Phala saga will now be decided by the National Assembly when members of Parliament debate the report on Tuesday.