5 important things happening in South Africa today

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Cabinet approves plan for immigration overhaul: Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said the cabinet has approved a white paper overhauling the country’s immigration laws after “robust engagements” that resulted in “wide support” of the document’s policy positions. The paper proposes a complete overhaul of the Citizenship Act, the Refugees Act and the Immigration Act and calls on the government to introduce single legislation to address the new immigration challenges facing the country. [Business Day]

• Court sides with Transnet in R1.1 billion tender: A court has dismissed an urgent bid by the controversial Amahlo Joint Venture to stop Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) from cancelling a R1.1 billion security contract on the North Corridor. The contract, awarded just eight months ago, is set to be terminated by TFR due to alleged underperformance by the contractor. The ruling allows TFR to proceed with the termination and orders Amahlo to cover the legal costs. [News24]

• Proposed changes to BELA Bill rejected: The Parliament’s legal division has said that the majority of feedback on the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill opposes its proposed revisions. These changes affect the South African Schools Act and the Educators Employment Act. After conducting public consultations nationwide, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) directed its legal services to review the concerns raised; however, it noted the difficulty in pinpointing the specific reasons for the overwhelming opposition. [SABC]

• Sasol’s court win against Transnet: In a legal turnaround, Sasol has secured a court order against Transnet, compelling the state-owned entity to release sensitive commercial information amidst a R1.3 billion tariff dispute. The required documents, which Transnet must provide within 15 days as per the Pretoria High Court’s decision, include detailed disclosures about fuel volumes transported through its pipelines from 2020 to 2023, alongside operational costs, revenue, and resources data. [Business Day]

• Markets: The rand remained unchanged on Wednesday after local inflation fell slightly, but not enough to change the outlook on interest rates. On Thursday (18 April), the rand was trading at R18.99 to the dollar, R23.69 to the pound, and R20.20 to the euro. Oil is trading at $87.48 a barrel. [Reuters]