Author: staff

In a historic move towards fostering global diplomacy and ending conflicts, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke to three important global players in quick succession this week — Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, and held talks with Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Implats reported a 5% fall in production to 2.6 million ounces for its nine months to end March, weighed down as it reset its operational footprint at Impala Canada. Other factors were low labour activity, heavy rainfall and safety stoppages in SA.

The EFF, in a letter to the National Assembly speaker, expressed “its deepest concern regarding the fiscal and governance vacuum created by” the finance minister’s “failure to table a lawful and credible budget before the end of the financial year”.

The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein has decided to deal with a special plea raised by Moroadi Cholota – former Free State premier Ace Magashule’s ex-assistant and one of his co-accused in the asbestos case – before continuing with the main trial.

The Western Cape High Court has dismissed Stellenbosch Municipality’s bid to compel a property owner on Bird Street to rehabilitate a water-filled hole where a teenage couple died. Their vehicle was found submerged in water on the vacant plot in October 2022.

Fresh from losing yet another legal bid to force the removal of his corruption prosecutor, Jacob Zuma’s lawyers argue that delays in his trial have resulted in the deaths of “crucial” witnesses – and say the case against him should therefore be quashed.

The News24-Ipsos survey highlights BEE’s mixed impact: it has increased black ownership, management, and middle-class mobility but contributed to corruption, deterred foreign investment, and failed to drive economic growth, writes Carol Paton.

In hindsight, the impasse on the now scrapped VAT increase of 0.5 percentage points, which led to a fallout between the GNU’s largest partners, the DA and ANC, could have been avoided, says DA leader Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen.

Some of SA’s top legal experts say companies should prepare to reverse implementation of the VAT hike, which was expected on 1 May. Many retailers say they have pressed pause after National Treasury made an official announcement of its reversal.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelensky, both agreed that President Donald Trump could play a significant role in mediating a peace agreement to bring an end to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.