For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: DA joins opposition push to hold up contested budget; Cogta committee calls for integration of two proposed coalition governance Bills; And, official says Angola needs $240-million to clear hundreds of civil war minefields

DA joins opposition push to hold up contested budget

The Democratic Alliance, the second-biggest party in South Africa's coalition government, has joined the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters in seeking to delay a parliamentary vote on the contested 2025 budget today.

Most big parliamentary parties are against a proposal in the budget to raise value-added tax by 1 percentage point spread over two years, arguing it would hit the poorest hard.

Yesterday, a parliamentary committee adopted a report supporting the budget's fiscal framework, despite reservations from many lawmakers on the committee about some of the main revenue-generating measures.

Parliament is meeting today to consider the report and vote on the fiscal framework and revenue proposals.

The DA and EFF wrote separate letters to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza saying that today’s proceedings were procedurally flawed.

Cogta committee calls for integration of two proposed coalition governance Bills

Owing to the Private Member's Bill and the Local Government: Municipal Structures Amendment Bill seeking to address the same issues, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Zweli Mkhize advised that the Bills be integrated into a single Bill.

Mkhize expressed concerns that otherwise this may lead to duplication, delays and possibly public confusion during public hearings.

Mkhize acknowledged the need to process and finalise the legislation speedily ahead of the local government elections next year, noting that the committee resolved that National Assembly member George Michalakis must engage with Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa to find ways to integrate the proposals into a single Bill.

The committee stated that this must be done within one month, after which the Minister must brief the committee.

And, official says Angola needs $240-million to clear hundreds of civil war minefield

Angola requires $240-million from government or donor funding to clear nearly 1 000 minefields from the civil war that ended more than two decades ago, the National Mine Action Agency head said.

The landmines, planted during the 27-year civil war up to 2002, have left people with disabilities and continue to cause harm. Many remain displaced because of the minefields.

About 975 minefields need clearance, and demining costs an average of $3.10 per square metre, meaning $240-million is required, said Brigadier General Leonardo Sapalo, the National Mine Action Agency's head.

About 192 of the minefields are in areas close to the Benguela Railway, a critical component of the Lobito Corridor - a US-backed rail project linking resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to the port of Lobito in Angola to facilitate the export of minerals and other goods.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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