For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: ActionSA to abstain from DA's no confidence motion against Dada Morero; Rand gains as Israel-Iran truce lifts risk sentiment; And, Lungu's funeral in SA stalled as Zambia, family feud in court

ActionSA to abstain from DA's no confidence motion against Dada Morero

Ahead of today’s motion of no confidence against City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu and chief whip Sithembiso Zungu, ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni says his party will abstain from the motion, with the understanding that the African National Congress could retaliate against the ActionSA Speaker in the motion tabled against her.

The Democratic Alliance brought the motions on Monday.

Ngobeni stated that the party’s decision takes place against the background of ActionSA's agreement last year to enter the legislature strictly to support the Government of Local Unity on an issue-by-issue basis, to prevent the city from being held ransom by coalition tensions in other municipalities.

He pointed to failures under Morero’s leadership, saying across Johannesburg, it had become a universal reality that service delivery was collapsing.

He said water and electricity outages have become commonplace, road infrastructure is at its worst, and institutions like City Power are becoming wholly dysfunctional.

ActionSA said it would not vote to defend what it called an “indefensible track record”, especially when basic governance matters were being mishandled without consultation.

Rand gains as Israel-Iran truce lifts risk sentiment

The South African rand gained in early trade today as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran supported risk appetite and provided relief after days of geopolitical tension.

This morning, the rand traded at 17.76 against the dollar, up about 0.2% on Tuesday's close.

The dollar last traded flat against a basket of currencies.

With a fairly muted domestic economic calendar, investor focus will mainly be on the ceasefire.

On Thursday, all eyes will be on the producer price index and the South African Reserve Bank's quarterly bulletin, which will shed light on foreign direct investment flows in Africa's most industrialised economy.

And, Lungu's funeral in SA stalled as Zambia, family feud in court

Zambia asked a South African court to halt the planned burial of ex-President Edgar Lungu, who died June 5, ratcheting up a feud between the current head of State and the former leader’s family.

The attorney general of Zambia applied for an interim order to halt the Lungu family’s plans to hold a private burial in South Africa. The Zambian government argues that he should have an official funeral at home, State-owned ZNBC television reported.

The hearing in the Pretoria High Court was under way this morning.

The legal battle follows weeks of wrangling between the government of the copper-rich nation and Lungu’s family, who’ve failed to agree on how and where he should be buried and whether President Hakainde Hichilema should be involved in the proceedings. Ultimately, the family abandoned an earlier agreement for a state burial in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Lungu and Hichilema were bitter political opponents. After Hichilema defeated Lungu in elections in 2021, Zambian prosecutors pursued numerous cases against the former president’s political allies and family members. Esther, Lungu’s wife, had been scheduled to appear in a Lusaka court this week over the alleged theft of motor vehicles. She’s pleaded not guilty to the charges.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on the X platform, at the handle @PolityZA