For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa objects to Thandazani Madonsela as Impeachment Committee evidence leader; AfriForum, March and March forge alliance to bypass ‘State failure’; And, South Africa consumer inflation slows more than expected in July

Ramaphosa objects to Thandazani Madonsela as Impeachment Committee evidence leader

President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally objected to the appointment of advocate Thandazani Madonsela as the Chief Evidence Leader for the upcoming parliamentary impeachment inquiry, claiming conflicts of interest.

The objection has forced the Section 89 Impeachment Committee to halt proceedings and seek urgent independent legal opinion.

Ramaphosa argued that Madonsela has “clear conflicts of interest”. And in his submissions, the President pointed out that he removed Madonsela from the Judicial Service Commission in 2022. This history creates a risk of a personal grievance, Ramaphosa argued.

He also said that the ANC noted that Madonsela previously advised the party on matters tied to this exact impeachment inquiry.

AfriForum, March and March forge alliance to bypass ‘State failure

Lobby group AfriForum and civic organisation March and March have formed a “strategic alliance” as they aim to address government failure and uplift South African communities at the grassroots level.

The meeting, held between March and March founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel, established a framework for cooperation on critical national issues, including community safety, education, border control, and economic accountability.

Despite representing different cultural frameworks, both organisations pledged to “look past institutional differences”.

The leadership delegations identified several mutual priority areas where joint initiatives or shared expertise can bypass State inefficiencies, highlighting the designing of lawful, community-led systems to fight local crime and curb the illicit goods trade.

Both organisations are jointly advocating for secure borders to protect the domestic economy and prevent regional instability, support mother-tongue education and sustainable alternative educational frameworks.

And, South Africa consumer inflation slows more than expected in July

South Africa's inflation rate slowed for the first time in five months in July, partly due to a steep drop in fuel costs, but analysts said it could soon climb again as renewed US-Iran hostilities had since driven global oil prices higher.

Headline inflation in Africa's largest economy eased to 4.3% year-on-year, lower than the 4.5% predicted by economists and June's 5.0% reading, Statistics South Africa data showed.

The agency attributed the slowdown to three main factors: softer food inflation, lower municipal tariff increases and a decline in fuel prices.

Food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation fell to its lowest level in more than 16 years, reaching 0.9% in annual terms, largely due to cereals and meat.

Municipalities implement tariff increases in July each year, and most categories saw smaller increases than in 2025.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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