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

Making headlines: MKP wants secret ballot in no confidence motion against Ramaphosa; Treasury seeks to supplement foreign exchange borrowing programme; And, Prasa, union reach wage deal

MKP wants secret ballot in no confidence motion against Ramaphosa

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has requested that voting in its Motion of No Confidence brought against President Cyril Ramaphosa should be through secret ballot, citing integrity of the voting process.

On Tuesday, the party wrote to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to consider its intentions to table a motion in Parliament.

This after the party said Ramaphosa failed to meet the Tuesday deadline set by the Chief Justice to file opposing papers in the Constitutional Court.

MKP president Jacob Zuma and the party challenged Ramaphosa’s decision to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on a leave of absence, and said Firoz Cachalia’s subsequent appointment as Acting Minister was illegal.

The party has been vocal in calling on Ramaphosa to withdraw his announcement of Mchunu’s leave and Cachalia’s appointment, threatening legal action, should he fail.

Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has since requested that Zuma and his party file their heads of argument by July 27, and the respondents were given until July 28 to do the same.

The matter is set down for hearing on July 30.

Treasury seeks to supplement foreign exchange borrowing programme

National Treasury invited proposals on “innovative and cost-efficient” ways to supplement the government’s foreign-currency borrowing programme in the current fiscal year.

The initiative is aimed at diversifying funding sources beyond traditional eurobonds and reducing the cost of funding, the Treasury said in a statement today.

It requested proposals from primary dealers in the nation’s debt securities, along with banks, multilateral institutions and institutional investors.

South Africa’s government proposed raising R98.9-billion in foreign loans in the year through March 2026. That amount decreases to R80-billion the next fiscal year and R96-billion in 2027-28.

The Treasury will consider a range of instruments, including bilateral term loans, private placements of floating rate notes, repurchase agreements against sovereign collateral and cross-currency swaps, according to the statement.

And, Prasa, union reach wage deal

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and its key union reached a wage agreement that will see a 5.5% increase in workers’ pay across the board.

The United National Transport Union and Prasa signed the pact on pay for the year through March 2026 yesterday “following a difficult and drawn-out negotiation period,” Untu said in a statement today.

In addition to the increase, there will be no forced retrenchments of employees in the bargaining unit in the corporate office, the rail and technical units, the long-distance passenger division and the intersite unit during the period.

Prasa collapsed in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic after looters vandalised most of its 580 stations and stole power lines feeding the trains, rendering about 95% of its network unusable.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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