August 12, 2024.

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines:

Expanded pilot project planned to help munis pay Eskom as arrear debt continues to rise

Cape Town to launch constitutional challenge if Public Procurement Bill is gazetted

And, Tanzania police arrest senior opposition leaders, ban meeting

Expanded pilot project planned to help munis pay Eskom as arrear debt continues to rise

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that a new pilot project is being prepared to further “stress test” an initiative aimed at ensuring that municipalities settle their accounts with Eskom in a context where municipal arrear debt has grown to about R78-billion.

The initiative is reportedly being supported by the South African Local Government Association, and has already been piloted in three municipalities, namely the Beyers Naudé local municipality, in the Eastern Cape, as well as at the Kamiesberg and Nama-Khoi municipalities, in the Northern Cape.

Ramokgopa reported that the idea was to extend the mechanism to about two municipalities in each province, especially those with large unpaid debts to Eskom.

He reported that it drew on an innovation developed in the private sector and could be deployed both to those municipalities that were participating in the debt-relief programme launched by the National Treasury last year and those that did not apply or qualify for the scheme.

He confirmed that the majority of the municipalities that had signed up to the debt write-off scheme were failing to comply with the 14 conditions set by the National Treasury.

Cape Town to launch constitutional challenge if Public Procurement Bill is gazetted

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa not to gazette the new Public Procurement Bill into law, as the city believes it will slow down local service delivery and undermine the constitutional autonomy of local government.

Despite having already signed the Bill, Cape Town says Ramaphosa may still refer it to the Constitutional Court for review before proclamation, or send it back to Parliament for amendment.

In a letter to the President, Hill-Lewis warns that the City of Cape Town will have no option but to launch a constitutional challenge if the Bill is gazetted in its current form.

Hill-Lewis said the Bill allows direct interference in municipal procurements by provincial treasuries and a new national Public Procurement Office, which will be empowered to dictate instructions to municipalities without proper cooperative governance arrangements or consultation.

He said it is unconstitutional, and undermines local government autonomy and direct accountability to serving residents.

Tanzania police arrest senior opposition leaders, ban meeting

Police arrested senior leaders of Tanzania's main opposition party CHADEMA and hundreds of its supporters ahead of a meeting in the southwest of the country, a party spokesperson said today.

Tundu Lissu, CHADEMA's vice chairperson, and the party's Secretary General John Mnyika were among those arrested on Sunday evening, party spokesperson John Mrema said.

Lissu, a former presidential candidate, has harboured ambitions of contesting in next year's presidential election.

Since coming to power in March 2021 following the death of her predecessor, Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lifted a ban on political rallies and relaxed restrictions on media.

However, she has faced criticism from opposition parties and rights groups for arrests last year of those planning protests against a port management deal.

The latest arrests came hours after police banned a conference planned by CHADEMA's youth wing BAVICHA, saying the event was likely to breach the peace.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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