Cape Town —
Opposition In Bid to Remove President Cyril Ramaphosa From Office
Opposition parties have come together in a bid to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa following a February 2020 robbery at his game farm Phala Phala in which U.S.$4 million in cash was stolen. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the African Transformation Party (ATM), say they want a secret vote of no confidence against Ramaphosa in the National Assembly. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has said it will not support the motion for now and are rather calling for a transparent ad-hoc committee to investigate, eNCA reports.
Police Awaits NPA Decision on Sexual Assault Charge Against Finance Minister
The National Prosecuting Authority will need to make a decision on whether charges will be brought against Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana for the alleged sexual assault of a Kruger National Park spa employee on August 9 - Women's Day. The Mpumalanga police handed over the docket after statements were obtained from the "necessary people", Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala has said.
Botswana, Namibia Bans South African Fruit, Veg - Govt Called on to Assist
The SA government needs to urgently intervene in the unilateral closing of their borders by Botswana and Namibia to certain fruits and vegetables from South Africa, claiming it is to protect their local producers. Since the beginning of 2022, Botswana blocked SA exports of tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric, chilli peppers, butternut, watermelons, sweet peppers, green mealies and fresh herbs. Agricultural body AgriSA has called on the Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza to assist, saying that the action goes against trade agreements with South Africa and with the Southern African Customs Union - of which Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia and SA are members. These countries are supposed to have a common external trade border with free flow of goods within the union, Fin24 reports. This action follows on the heels of an EU ban on the export of citrus fruits - a matter which has recently been renegotiated by the agriculture ministry, AllAfrica reports.
