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5 important things happening in South Africa today

Staff Writer

 ·24 May 2017

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

• The ANC has called a report claiming that the removal of president Jacob Zuma will be discussed at its May NEC meeting a fabrication, with analysts noting that the president still wields enough power within the ANC to squash any challenges. The ANC veterans are still insisting on a crisis conference to discuss Zuma, however their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

• National director of public prosecutions (NDPP) Shaun Abrahams insists that he has no vendetta against former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, and that the NPA was definitely not a ‘captured’ entity. Abrahams was giving an update to Parliament on the cases currently being investigated – including the number of successful corruption charges brought. The NPA has only managed to hit just over half of its target of 1,000 corruptions cases.

• Following an intense grilling by a Parliamentary committee over the reappointment of Eskom boss Brian Molefe, the ANC released a statement saying that the power utility and minister Lynne Brown’s explanation of the events amounts to perjury. None of the MPs on the committee were convinced by the tale that Molefe had been on unpaid leave after his purported early retirement was not approved.

• Embattled SABC executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng is expected to face a disciplinary committee today – though his representatives insist it has nothing to do with the Public Protector’s report on the broadcaster, but rather his recent press conference. The Public Protector fingered Motsoeneng for maladministration and corruption, while the press conference issue had to do with bringing the SABC into disrepute.

• South Africa’s rand raced to a four-week high against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday on a media report that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will discuss the removal of President Jacob Zuma at a major party meeting this weekend. On Wednesday, the rand was trading at R13.13 to the dollar, R17.05 to the pound and R14.68 to the euro.