5 important things happening in South Africa today

·9 Feb 2023

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

State of crisis: Civil society groups want President Cyril Rampahosa to make concrete plans to fix the nation’s problems. Defend our Democracy said it wants Rampahosa to make an honest reflection of all the issues facing South Africa during SONA. Movement for Care said that the country is in crisis due to a lack of leadership. Outa and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation also said that the country is in a state of crisis. [News24, EWN]

Load shedding deaths: The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) says the government should compensate families whose loved ones died in hospitals during load shedding. Haitu said that fewer than 100 public hospitals out of a possible 400 were spared from load shedding. The organisation added that rolling blackouts were crippling the healthcare sector and that government should be held accountable. [EWN]

Spurs whistleblower hunt: SA Tourism is launching a forensic investigation to find the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on the proposed Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal. Acting SA Tourism CEO Themba Khumalo said that he believed the whistleblower is a board member, as they had access to all the relevant documents. SA Tourism will also investigate the interim CFO Johan van der Walt’s potential conflict of interest. [News24]

Flooding crisis hits Eastern Cape: Disaster management teams in Komani, Eastern Cape, are on high alert as heavy rainfall is resulting in major floods. Nearly 1,000 people have been displaced by the flooding, with a further 75 evacuated last night. A hospital in the region is also flooded. Gift of the Givers said it would send essential supplies to its East London Warehouse. No fatalities have been recorded thus far. [TimesLive, SABC]

Markets: South Africa’s rand weakened against the dollar on Wednesday as investors awaited potential news from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address on Thursday. South African markets will be turning their focus to the president’s speech to parliament, where he is under pressure to offer some solution to address a worsening power crisis. On Thursday (9 February), the rand was trading at R17.72/$, R19.02/€, and R21.42/£. Brent crude is trading at $85.10 a barrel. [Reuters]

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