South Africa and Iran have deepened diplomatic ties following a meeting in Pretoria between Deputy Minister Thandi Moraka and her Iranian counterpart, Dr Saeed Khatibzadeh. The discussions reaffirmed support for the US-Iran peace memorandum and highlighted the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as crucial for Africa鈥檚 energy and food security. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation stated that Deputy Minister Moraka reiterated South Africa's consistent call for international disputes to be settled through negotiation. Dr Khatibzadeh provided an update on the implementation of the memorandum, with Deputy Minister Moraka affirming South Africa's readiness to support all parties in maintaining the momentum towards peace. Both deputy ministers welcomed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, noting its importance for African countries which were negatively impacted during its closure. South Africa has praised the US-Iran agreement to end military operations, viewing it as a significant step towards peace and stability in the Middle East. The US and Iran recently signed a memorandum of understanding to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with US President Donald Trump and Iran鈥檚 President Masoud Pezeshkian signing the deal. This agreement aims to end the war in the Middle East, with Tehran agreeing to dilute enriched uranium in exchange for economic relief and a $300 billion reconstruction fund. Pretoria has urged regional actors to respect the
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South Africa's Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke reported that all eight metropolitan municipalities failed to achieve clean audits in 2024-25. Her report highlighted a worsening situation, with five metros receiving qualified opinions and irregular expenditure reaching R73.87 billion over four years. Service delivery losses were significant, including R9.89 billion in water and R17.28 billion in electricity. Maluleke attributed these issues to weak leadership, poor oversight, and a collapsing accountability ecosystem, urging urgent reforms as a new local government administration prepares to take office. She emphasized the need to professionalize local government, strengthen oversight, improve skills retention, and enforce consequences for misconduct. Only 39 out of 257 municipalities achieved clean audits, and 195 municipalities submitted financial statements with material misstatements. Concerns were also raised about the R1.61 billion spent on financial reporting consultants by 225 municipalities, with 61% of those still submitting erroneous statements. Irregular expenditure has accumulated to R145.21 billion since 2021-22, with procurement failures exposing municipalities to fraud and corruption risks.
South Africa's parliamentary Section 89 Impeachment Committee has decided to appoint an evidence leader for the inquiry into the 2020 theft of US dollars from President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm. This decision comes amidst strong criticism of Speaker Thoko Didiza for not opposing President Ramaphosa's urgent court bid to halt the impeachment process. EFF leader Julius Malema and MK party's Andile Mngxitama accused Didiza of failing in her constitutional duty to defend Parliament, arguing she should have challenged the president's court application. NCC leader Fadiel Adams also expressed concern that Ramaphosa is attempting to avoid accountability. Committee Chairperson Makashule Gana confirmed that parties have until July 10 to nominate candidates for the evidence leader position and to submit written comments on the draft Terms of Reference. Despite the ongoing political disputes and Ramaphosa's pending interdict in the Western Cape High Court, the committee emphasized that its work must continue. The National Assembly recently adopted amended rules for the 31-member committee, allowing it to proceed with its investigation into allegations that Ramaphosa may have breached the Constitution.
Four South African Police Service Saps officers and a police informer have each been sentenced to 15 years in prison for their involvement in a R1.2 million robbery and the kidnapping of three foreign nationals. The Randburg Magistrate's Court handed down the sentences to Walter Enow Agbor, Tebogo Michael Moeketse, Choema Eric Moabelo, Isram Moaone Phala, and Kagiso Arthur Masibi. The National Prosecuting Authority NPA confirmed the convictions on multiple charges, including robbery, corruption, kidnapping, theft, and defeating the ends of justice. The incident, which occurred on May 8, 2018, in Randburg, involved the theft of approximately R1.2 million from a Nigerian national and two Congolese nationals during an unlawful operation. Investigations by Captain Phatlane of the Serious Corruption Investigation SCI Unit revealed no lawful arrests or registered criminal cases, and the seized money was unaccounted for. Some accused were found with cash linked to the crime, while others attempted to create false paper trails. Senior Public Prosecutor Yusuf Baba argued for a severe penalty, highlighting that the accused, including two members of the Provincial Investigating Unit and two Yeoville detectives, abused their positions of authority. The court agreed with the State's submissions. Additionally, the NPA鈥檚 Asset Forfeiture Unit secured a confiscation order, resulting in R282,500 being forfeited to the Criminal Assets Recovery Account CARA.