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

Making headlines: South Africa declares national disaster after floods kill 92; DA files ethics complaint against Higher Education Minister; And, ActionSA gives Justice Minister 7 days to respond to request for Batohi’s removal

South Africa declares national disaster after floods kill 92

South Africa declared a national disaster after floods and snow killed more than 90 people and destroyed roads and bridges in four of the country’s nine provinces.

Elias Sithole, the head of the National Disaster Management Centre, said adverse weather since June 9 caused damage to property and disrupted basic services in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.

Declaring a national disaster allows the government to free up funds for relief and reconstruction. It’s the second time the administration has implemented the measure in about seven months — when floods and storms in October affected seven provinces.

The government of the Eastern Cape will hold a day of mourning today after at least 92 people died in the flooding caused by record rainfall in the impoverished area.

Authorities and reliefs groups are providing assistance to 4 308 individuals who were left homeless across the province and processes are under way to provide temporary housing, the region’s government said in a statement.

DA files ethics complaint against Higher Education Minister

The Democratic Alliance today filed a supplementary ethics complaint against Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nobuhle Nkabane and announced its intention to escalate the matter to Public Protector Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka.

The party is accusing Nkabane of allegedly misleading Parliament, and claims she lied to Parliament, violating the ethics code as a Minister.

DA member on the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training Karabo Khakhau explained that the standing complaint relates to Nkabane allegedly misleading Parliament, when she stated that the panel tasked with appointing the Sector Education and Training Authority board chairperson consisted of independent people, and subsequently informed Parliament that they were not independent at all.

Following the disclosure by Nkabane of the names of the panel tasked with appointing the SETA board chairperson, the DA said it had now learned that one of the members of the panel Advocate Terry Motau, wrote to Nkabane claiming that he had nothing to do with the process.

The DA’s supplementary ethics complaint comes in addition to the ethics complaint submitted on Tuesday against Nkabane.

And, ActionSA gives Justice Minister 7 days to respond to request for Batohi’s removal

ActionSA has given Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi seven days to respond to its demand for the removal of National Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Shamila Batohi, vowing to use pressure to challenge what it describes as the decline of the country’s criminal justice system.

The party marched to Kubayi’s office in Pretoria today to submit its memorandum, demanding that Kubayi, as the Cabinet member responsible for Justice and Constitutional Development, engage President Cyril Ramaphosa to exercise powers under the National Prosecuting Authority Act and initiate the formal process for Batohi’s removal.

ActionSA wants the process to begin with Batohi’s immediate suspension pending an investigation into what it alleges is systemic dysfunction in the NPA.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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