President Ramaphosa to present Presidency Budget amid impeachment tensions
via The Citizen1 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to address the National Assembly on Tuesday to deliver the 2026/2027 Presidency Budget Vote. This budget aims to drive economic growth, address poverty, and strengthen South Africa's governance under the Government of National Unity. Ramaphosa returns to Parliament amidst political tensions and a pending Section 89 impeachment inquiry. The Presidency stated that the Budget Vote includes allocations for key sub-departments such as the State Security Agency, the Government Communication and Information System, and Statistics South Africa. Priorities for this year's Budget Vote include an intelligence-led approach to dismantle criminal networks, coordinating government communication, and modernizing national statistics to combat misinformation and support evidence-based decision-making. Following the address, a debate among Members of Parliament will take place, to which Ramaphosa will reply on Wednesday. The Presidency emphasized that the Budget Vote tabling serves as a mechanism for parliamentary checks and balances and public accountability regarding the allocation of public funds. During his State of the Nation address in February, Ramaphosa highlighted the focus for 2026 on intensifying the fight against organized crime and criminal syndicates using technology, intelligence, and integrated law enforcement. Opposition parties urged Ramaphosa to ensure his commitments are fulfilled, especially concerning the country's digital divide. Ram
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Citizen.
South African schools continue to experience incidents involving pupils falling into pit toilets, despite the Department of Basic Education's pledge to eradicate them by March 2025. Recent incidents occurred at Mogogelo Primary in North West and Zakhele Primary in KwaZulu-Natal. At Mogogelo Primary, a Grade 1 pupil fell into a pit toilet after a contractor abandoned the site, leaving open inlets. The school's education spokesperson, Vuyo Mantshule, stated the school did not barricade the construction area. At Zakhele Primary, a five-year-old pupil was rescued from a pit latrine earlier this year. Kathija Yassim, an education leadership professor at the University of Johannesburg, noted that under the Sanitation Appropriate for Education Safe programme, 3,372 schools with unsafe pit toilets were identified in 2018. As of April 2025, 96% of these schools had been addressed, with 141 awaiting completion, a number that has since fallen to around 135. Yassim also highlighted that about 1,770 public schools still had some form of pit toilets in 2024, though many also had alternative sanitation. The department has allocated R1.6 billion for the 2025-26 financial year to complete pit latrine eradication. Last year, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube informed parliament that the Safe initiative had eradicated over 93% of identified pit toilets and confirmed that all 3,372 schools identified in the 2018 audit now have safe and appropriate sanitation facilities.
Nigerians are reportedly sleeping outside their embassy in Pretoria, awaiting repatriation flights two weeks after anti-migrant protests on June 30. Many have been living in South Africa for years and are now seeking assistance to return home, with some expressing concerns about the lack of support from the embassy and the safety of women and children. Meanwhile, the Malawi high commission is experiencing a significant increase in demand for aid, with the Institute for Islamic Services providing meals, winter essentials, and medical supplies to hundreds of individuals daily. A staff member from the Malawian high commission, speaking anonymously, indicated that while buses are transporting people, the influx of those seeking refuge, sometimes up to 300 daily, is overwhelming. Doctors have also expressed concern for over 40 children sleeping in the embassy's basement due to cold weather. Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi stated that South Africa has deported and repatriated over 50,000 foreign nationals recently as authorities address migration concerns.
Makhi Feni, chair of the select committee on education, sciences and the creative industries, has accused Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube of misrepresenting progress in eliminating pit toilets in schools. Following oversight visits to schools in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and North West, Feni stated that the department cited the completion of an old project as an achievement, despite a significant backlog. The Minister's office, through spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa, denied that Gwarube lied, clarifying that all 3,372 projects from the 2018 Safe Initiative audit had reached practical completion. Vangqa emphasized that this does not imply the absence of sanitation or water supply challenges in all South African schools, distinguishing between the completion of the 2018 backlog and other identified needs. The department could not provide a cost for complete eradication, citing variables like facility condition, solution type, water availability, and geographic accessibility. Provincial education departments are responsible for budgeting for remaining infrastructure needs. The overall school infrastructure backlog in South Africa exceeds R120 billion. The FW de Klerk Foundation called for accelerated pit latrine removal and accurate reporting, with Daniela Ellerbeck, constitutional rights programmes manager, and Christo van der Rheede, executive director, highlighting the need for honesty about remaining challenges. Kathija Yassim, an education leadership professor, stres