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

Making headlines: DA says it will not remove ‘Lesufi shower billboard’ at ANC’s request; Godongwana says oil spike threatens South Africa’s inflation; And, Somali parliament approves constitution change to extend president's term, delay election

DA says it will not remove ‘Lesufi shower billboard’ at ANC’s request

The Democratic Alliance today said it will not be meeting the African National Congress’ 12-hour deadline to remove its billboard depicting recent remarks made by the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

Instated the party encouraged Lesufi to act against the water crisis with the same level of urgency used to act against its billboard.

Last month, Lesufi sparked public outrage after saying he often had to shower at a hotel because of water outages in the province.

The ANC has written to the DA demanding the removal of the billboard, which was unveiled in Tshwane on Tuesday. The ANC has threatened legal action against the DA if the billboard does not come down in 12 hours.

DA Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille said the ANC has not cited any legal reason as to why the billboard should be removed and instead suggests that the image is demeaning to Lesufi and tarnishes his reputation.

Godongwana says oil spike threatens South Africa’s inflation

Sustained higher oil prices resulting from conflict in the Middle East may fuel inflation in South Africa, though the buffers built by the government should help keep its debt-consolidation plans on track, said Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

The price of Brent crude has jumped almost 16% this week as shipping flows ground to a halt in the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits.

Godongwana said South Africa is a price taker” when it comes to petroleum imports.

And, Somali parliament approves constitution change to extend president's term, delay election

Somalia's parliament voted to change its constitution and extend the term in office for lawmakers and the president, the president and the parliament's speaker said, pushing back planned elections by a year.

Somalia has endured conflict and clan battles with no strong central government since the fall of autocratic ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

While an African Union peacekeeping mission has pushed back the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group, it still controls vast areas of the countryside and has the ability to conduct regular strikes on major population centres.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had reached a deal last August with some opposition leaders stipulating that, while lawmakers would be directly elected in 2026, the president would still be chosen by parliament. A 2024 law restored universal suffrage ahead of the vote.

On Wednesday, 222 lawmakers from the parliament and senate out of a total of 329 voted by acclamation to change the law, extending their term and that of the president to five years, from four years previously.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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