For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: ANC hopes to conclude Budget negotiations in five days and will engage DA on conduct; Ramaphosa says policing Summit must present clear plan to address the systemic policing deficiencies; And, ActionSA wants removal of VAT increase before it considers joining GNU

ANC hopes to conclude Budget negotiations in five days and will engage DA on conduct

African National Congress secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said his party is hopeful it will reach a consensus on the Budget within five days, having engaged all parties in the Government of National Unity, including the Democratic Alliance, other political parties, as well as religious sectors.

Mbalula was briefing the media on the outcome of the party’s National Working Committee meeting today, where he pointed out that the ANC’s negotiating team has been given a mandate, to report to national officials in two weeks.

He said the ANC will engage the DA on their conduct in relation to the GNU.

Mbalula said the ANC has agreed with several parties on a range of issues with regards to the Budget, noting that the remaining issue is the question of the VAT increase.

He said the party remained principled and loyal to the engagement and issues in the meetings with other parties.

He pointed out that the NWC adopted the position of the GNU and said nothing has changed in relation to the GNU.

Ramaphosa says policing Summit must present clear plan to address the systemic policing deficiencies

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the keynote address on the first day of the 2025 National Policing Summit, today, where he stressed the need for a clear plan from the Summit to address the systemic deficiencies that are negatively impacting policing.

The three-day summit is taking place in Gauteng, under the theme ‘Efficiency in Action: Optimising South Africa's Policing Potential’ and aims to reflect on current policing approaches and develop more effective methods for the South African Police Service.

Speaking earlier at the Summit, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that the Saps was reconfiguring its organisational structure to fight crime more effectively.

Ramaphosa described the gathering as a “landmark summit”, and said South Africans owed the Saps their full support.

However, he echoed Mchunu’s earlier concerns of corruption in the police sector and said that the fundamentals of policing needed to be strengthened, and a culture of honesty and integrity needed to be instilled in the police.

He noted that police sources were stretched thin and called for support for Saps members. He further noted that police numbers were dropping as the country’s population grew and suggested programmes that attract the “right calibre” of Saps candidates, as well as training, education and career development.

The President further stressed the need for collaboration between law-enforcement agencies for better coordination and data sharing.

And, ActionSA wants removal of VAT increase before it considers joining GNU

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba has affirmed that his party will not give any consideration to the proposal of reconstituting the Government of National Unity to include ActionSA until the issues of the value-added tax increase and income tax bracket creep have been resolved.

Last week, the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress voted for an ActionSA report that supported the fiscal framework, including a VAT increase, instead of amending or withdrawing the report, as suggested by the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters.

ActionSA was accused by the DA of selling out South Africans.

The party said it noted media reports arising from the ANC’s National Working Committee meeting held last night, which Mashaba said suggested a move to reconstitute the GNU to include ActionSA.

He stressed that ActionSA has received no communication from the ANC in this regard, but the party will remain available for constructive engagements around the Budget impasse.

He defended that ActionSA took the step to end the Budget impasse and protect South Africans on the strict condition that both the VAT increase and income tax bracket creep were removed.

Mashaba said following the approval of ActionSA’s recommendations, a process had been initiated to assess revenue alternatives that could allow for the removal of these increases.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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