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

Making headlines: SACP says it was excluded from National Dialogue, decries lack of inclusivity; Ramaphosa and Putin plan call to discuss war on Ukraine, peace push; And, Sustained lower inflation will drive growth, says EY

SACP says it was excluded from National Dialogue, decries lack of inclusivity

The South African Communist Party said its absence from the first National Convention held at the University of South Africa last week, was because the party was excluded and left behind in a process where the government’s key mantra was to “leave no one behind”.

The Government of National Unity held the first Convention to the National Dialogue in Pretoria on August 15 and 16.

The SACP explained that it had not reject the invitation to the Convention but said it was excluded from the National Dialogue. It alleged that processes were marred by questions of lack of inclusivity, which it said led to the apparent legitimacy crisis around the Dialogue itself.

The SACP affirmed the idea of a National Dialogue as a platform for national reflection on the challenges that faced the country such as high poverty, unemployment, inequality and crime.

But it said the National Dialogue’s legitimacy lay in its inclusivity. It believes that the process needs “re-engineering”.

Ramaphosa and Putin plan call to discuss war on Ukraine, peace push

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week to discuss Moscow’s ongoing war on Ukraine and efforts to end it.

Putin instigated plans to hold the call and will brief Ramaphosa on his trip last week to Alaska, where he discussed the conflict with US leader Donald Trump.

Ramaphosa, who holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 nations, has been among world leaders who have sought to mediate an end to the fighting that erupted when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is scheduled to hold talks with Trump in Washington later today, accompanied by a high-level delegation from the European Union.

While the US is expected to focus on territorial concessions demanded by Russia, Kyiv will seek to pin down possible security guarantees, according to a person familiar with the matter. In a weekend call, Trump told allies he wanted to reach a deal quickly and would urge Ukraine to agree to one, with the goal of holding a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting within a week — a timeline many of the Europeans regard as too aggressive, given how many issues remain unresolved.

And, Sustained lower inflation will drive growth, says EY

Headline consumer inflation is expected to rise slightly in coming months, but core inflation is anticipated to remain subdued, says consultancy EY.

As South Africa navigates a path toward economic recovery, the South African Reserve Bank's recent pivot to anchor inflation at the lower end of its 3% to 6% target range is poised to foster modest growth through structural reforms and potential further rate adjustments, the consultancy states.

EY's August macroeconomic outlook underscores this forward momentum, highlighting balanced domestic risks but warning of medium-term inflationary pressures from surging food prices, particularly meat, alongside slower fuel cost declines.

EY Africa says headline consumer inflation is expected to rise modestly in the coming months, building on June's slight uptick to 3% year-on-year from 2.8% in prior months, driven by food and non-alcoholic beverages reaching a 15-month high of 5.1%.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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