For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lynne Davies.

Making headlines: DA submits motions of no confidence against Joburg mayor, speaker; ; ANC Youth League disagrees with court ruling on dual citizenship; And, Kenyan leader Ruto switches tack on taxes after deadly protests

DA submits motions of no confidence against Joburg mayor, speaker

The Democratic Alliance in Johannesburg has submitted motions of no confidence in City of Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and Council Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu.

DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku stated that her party believed that under the current leadership, basic services were crumbling and communities were being neglected.

She accused Morero of failing citizens of the City, and claimed that his administration had been marked by “mismanagement, patronage networks, and a disturbing lack of transparency”.

She further accused Mthembu of being biased, which she sayid had “stifled critical decision-making, suppressed legitimate scrutiny, and eroded the democratic integrity of the council chamber”.

She said Mthembu’s actions, showed that she was no longer independent and that she is "a political ally of the mayor”.

ANC Youth League disagrees with court ruling on dual citizenship

The African National Congress Youth League said while it respected the independence of the judiciary and its mandate to interpret the Constitution, it firmly believes that the right to citizenship must be treated “with the seriousness it deserves”, arguing against dual citizenship for South Africans.

The party noted Tuesday’s Constitutional Court judgment, which declared a section of the South African Citizenship Act unconstitutional.

The DA celebrated the victory of its application to secure the citizenship of South Africans with dual nationality.

The section had previously meant South Africans who voluntarily acquired citizenship in another country would automatically forfeit their South African citizenship unless they applied to retain it beforehand.

The ANCYL accused the DA of serving the interests of “foreign and elitist forces”.

Citizenship, the Youth League argued, was not a mere administrative status, but a commitment to a country, its people, and its future.

The Youth League expressed concerns that the court ruling opened the door to “dual loyalties”, as it believed that the country needed “focused, active citizens”.

The Youth League has invited young south Africans to make submissions to the ongoing constitutional review process.

And, Kenyan leader Ruto switches tack on taxes after deadly protests

Kenyan President William Ruto plans to scrap some tax breaks to help shore up the state’s coffers, a change in strategy that comes after proposals to introduce new levies sparked deadly protests and nearly toppled his government last year before they were abandoned.

The East African nation intends removing tax exemptions on mobile phones, pharmaceuticals, animal feed and other items, and curbing refunds and subsidies to limit tax expenditures currently estimated at about 400-billion shillings, Treasury Secretary John Mbadi said on a panel with Nairobi-based Citizen TV. The tax-rebate system was mired in corruption of “unimaginable proportions,” with many fictitious claims being made, he said.

The Treasury expects to collect as much as $232-million from proposed taxes outlined in its so-called Finance Bill in the next financial year, down from $2.7-billion in the current period — a decline it attributed to the decision to walk back on new revenue-raising measures.

The authorities will focus on enhancing tax administration, sealing loopholes, making collection more efficient and removing ambiguities in the system, according to Mbadi.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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