Daily Podcast – March 20, 2019

20th March 2019 By: Sane Dhlamini - Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor and Researcher

Daily Podcast –  March 20, 2019

DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises, Natasha Mazzone
Photo by: Duane Daws

For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: DA says government is 'fumbling in the dark' for solutions to Eskom crisis, amending the Constitution left to Sixth Parliament And, political parties to sign elections code of conduct

 

Government 'fumbling in the dark' for solutions to Eskom crisis – DA

A media briefing on Eskom has only confirmed that the power utility is on the verge of collapse and that this will have a devastating impact on the country, the DA said yesterday.

The party's spokesperson on public enterprises MP Natasha Mazzone said President Cyril Ramaphosa, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Eskom board chair Jabu Mabuza were "not only culpable, but they have run out of ideas on how to address the extent of the crisis".

She said the briefing was nothing more than a "talk shop".

In the briefing in Johannesburg yesterday, on the heels of five consecutive days of load-shedding, Gordhan and Mabuza tried to allay fears about future electricity supply.

 

Amending the Constitution left to Sixth Parliament

It has been resolved that the Sixth Parliament will have to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.

On Tuesday at the second to last sitting of the National Assembly this parliamentary term, the legislature adopted the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee to Amend Section 25 of the Constitution, setting out that the committee would not be able to complete its work by the end of the Fifth Parliament's term, and that the Sixth Parliament be tasked with amending the Constitution to allow for expropriation of land without compensation.

Introducing the report, committee chairperson Thoko Didiza said addressing the "mischief of land dispossession" is what the drafters of the Constitution intended with Section 25.

 

Political parties to sign elections code of conduct

Political parties contesting this year's general elections will today sign the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s code of conduct.

The IEC said in a statement this ceremony is in compliance with the Electoral Act which requires contesting political parties for national and provincial elections to publicly commit to upholding the provisions and purpose of the code of conduct.

South Africans will head to the polls on May 8 and the electoral commission says there are 262 registered parties in its books.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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