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5 important things happening in South Africa today

Staff Writer

 ·22 Sep 2022

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

• Talking, talking: As South Africans, politicians, businesses and indeed everyone in the country continue to suffer under high stages of load shedding, begging for a solution, president Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet continue talks and discussions on how to address the issue. South Africa has been experiencing load shedding for 15 years. Cabinet started deliberations on the latest round of blackouts at 08h00 on Wednesday, and by the close of business, talks were still ongoing. [News24]

• Income support: Finance minister Enoch Godongwana says that the government will announce some form of income support in next month’s medium-term budget policy statement. He said that his department is looking at different income support measures, and it is probable – if it is ready – that comments will be made in October. There have been calls for the government’s R350 Covid support grant to be made a permanent income support grant. However, questions on cost remain. [BusinessLive]

• Mafia state: A new report assessing levels of organised crime has found that South Africa is now moving up the quadrant of criminality and has raced past Mexico, Somalia and Libya. It is in the sphere of Guatemala, Brazil and Russia – gaining global notoriety as a mafia state. The country assessment shows that the majority of 15 crime measures levels are increasing. None are declining. However, these criminal networks are not yet stable, giving a glimmer of hope that it’s not too late to turn things around. [Daily Maverick]

• Politicking: On the political front, the ANC in eThekwini has backed Zweli Mkhize to be the party’s next president, splitting the vote in the province. Murmurings from supporters of Jacob Zuma indicated that the faction wanted united support for Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in the race. Meanwhile, coalition politics are also at play, with the DA-led coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay electing a new mayor in the city. [ENCA 1,2]

• Markets: The South African rand held steady on Wednesday as the US dollar surged to new highs after a decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mobilise more troops for the conflict in Ukraine. Putin on Wednesday called up 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine. Local data showed on Wednesday that headline consumer inflation eased to 7.6% year on year in August from 7.8% in July. However, this was slightly less than the markets expected. On Thursday, the rand was at  R17.76/$, R17.46/€ and R19.95/£. Brent crude is trading at $90 a barrel. [Reuters]