For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: Ekurhuleni budget passed after major ANC concessions; SA court says family of Zambia's ex-leader should choose his burial site; And, Minister says construction of US-backed Ebola facility in Kenya halted

Ekurhuleni budget passed after major ANC concessions

The DA used its voting leverage to force major budgetary concessions from the ANC in Ekurhuleni after three failed budget votes threatened a provincial administration takeover.

Key budget concessions secured by the DA include property rate increases to be capped at just 1.5%, legal protection for infrastructure funding for roads, electricity, water, and sanitation and a new specialised unit to be established to fight illegal connections and power theft.

A monthly service delivery tracking dashboard will be published for public transparency, non-essential luxury spending will be frozen to prioritise basic services and stricter financial oversight and consequence management protocols are now mandatory.

The City of Ekurhuleni’s proposed R71-billion budget for the 2026/27 financial year was in limbo following repeated deadlocks in the municipal council.

Opposition parties, including the DA, EFF, and ActionSA, had continuously voted down the budget owing to concerns over aggressive tariff hikes and unrealistic financial assumptions.

SA court says family of Zambia's ex-leader should choose his burial site

A South African appeals court ruled today that the family of former Zambian President Edgar Lungu should decide where he is buried, overturning a lower court's order that Zambia's government could repatriate Lungu's body for a State funeral.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died in South Africa a year ago while undergoing medical treatment.

His body has remained in South Africa since, as his family and the Zambian government have wrangled over whether he should be buried at a site designated for Zambia's former presidents in the capital Lusaka, or privately in South Africa as his family prefers.

In its judgment today, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal said the Zambian government had failed to show it had a legal right under South African law to override the family's wishes on where and how Lungu should be buried.

And, Minister says construction of US-backed Ebola facility in Kenya halted

Kenya's health minister said today he had ordered an immediate halt to the construction of a US-backed Ebola quarantine facility at an air base after he was found guilty of contempt of court for failing to observe its suspension orders.

Health Minister Aden Duale was appearing before a Kenyan court that has blocked construction of the tented facility near the central town of Nanyuki, which has seen deadly protests over the plan.

The facility is intended to host Americans exposed to Ebola during an ongoing outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, which has recorded over 1 000 cases.

Satellite imagery from June 22 reviewed by Reuters showed continued build-up of tents, an increase in the amount of area paved, and progress in construction including structures that appeared to be containers, compared with images reviewed earlier in the month.

In her sentencing, Justice Patricia Nyaundi Mande warned Duale against further disobedience and discharged him with no punishment.

Flights carrying medical equipment and specialist staff have, however, continued to arrive at the air base despite the court orders, according to flight-tracking data and US and diplomatic sources.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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