Government

5 important things happening in South Africa today

Staff Writer

 ·23 Mar 2022

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

Coronavirus: In South Africa, three new Covid-19 deaths have been reported, taking the total reported to 99,893. The country has 14,230 active cases and a recovery rate of 96.9%.

• Covid regulations: University of Witwatersrand vaccinology professor Shabir Madhi says that president Cyril Ramaphosa’s public address on Covid-19 this week was disappointing and that the rules put forward by the government are illogical, irrational and inconsistent. He noted that the gazetted regulations didn’t bring about enough change besides the relaxing of the requirement to wear masks outdoors, which, according to the professor, could have been done away with six months ago. [ENCA]

• E-hailing strikes: Drivers from Uber, Bolt and other e-hailing services are expected to march on to the offices of the Gauteng Transport MEC in Johannesburg this Wednesday as the second day of protests. Drivers began the strike in Pretoria on Tuesday, where they handed their memorandum of demands to officials at the Trade and Industry Department and the Union Buildings. The drivers have called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the National Land Transport Act Amendment Bill into law, regulating e-hailing services. [EWN]

• Down with democracy: The ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal premier says that South Africa being a constitutional democracy impedes transformation in the country. He has called for the ANC to debate whether there should be an overhaul of the system favouring a parliamentary democracy. He argues that the South African courts are anti-transformation and that the legislature should be the final decider on policies and legislation. The chief executive officer of Freedom Under Law said that the premier’s points are “enormously concerning”. [News24]

• Goodbye Eskom: Anglo-America is joining a growing list of companies moving off Eskom’s grid. The group announced that 100% of its South African operations are planning to be off-grid and carbon-neutral by 2040. The mining company announced an agreement with a global renewables company to develop a suitable energy system. The company plans to curtail the largest single source of its emissions, the indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with purchasing electricity from Eskom. [Moneyweb]

• Markets: The South African rand strengthened to a five-month high on Tuesday, as expectations that the central bank will raise interest rates later this week and portfolio inflows helped it recover from a dip earlier in the week. Despite developed markets losing capital as rates increase, South Africa and other commodity exporters have appreciated their currencies since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a month ago. The rand is currently trading at R14.79/$, R16.31/€ and R19.65£. [Nasdaq]