For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Shomolekae.

Making headlines: Ramaphosa fires Social Development Minister; Hill-Lewis says no trade-off for accountability in government; And, Part of Somalia at risk of famine for first time since 2022

Ramaphosa fires Social Development Minister

President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed Sisisi Tolashe as Minister of Social Development, after widespread calls for her removal.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga will take on the role of acting Minister, pending a full-time appointment, the Presidency said.

Tolashe is accused of not declaring two luxury vehicles received for the African National Congress Women’s League, which she heads up.

The Democratic Alliance welcomed Tolashe’s removal, describing her position in the Cabinet as “untenable”.

The African National Congress said Ramaphosa’s decision to remove Tolashe showed the party and President’s seriousness in tackling corruption.

Hill-Lewis says no trade-off for accountability in government

Despite being in a crucial coalition alliance with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress, Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis is clear that there will be no trade-off for accountability or integrity in government under his leadership.

Speaking exclusively with Polity about the DA’s policies and political developments in South Africa ahead of the 2026 municipal elections, Hill-Lewis said there was no balance being sought between his party’s commitment to accountable governance and its role as a Government of National Unity partner.

This as Ramaphosa faces the possibility of impeachment as the National Assembly initiates a process to establish an Impeachment Committee after the Constitutional Court found that the previous parliamentary vote, which halted an impeachment inquiry against Ramaphosa, violated the National Assembly’s constitutional obligations under Section 89 of the Constitution.

When asked about the DA’s position on the matter, Hill-Lewis said his party’s vision of building a successful country was much bigger than government.

And, Part of Somalia at risk of famine for first time since 2022

A district in southern Somalia is at risk of famine, a UN-sponsored report said today, the first time that part of the country has reached such a critical level of hunger since 2022. 

One of the world's most food-insecure nations due to frequent drought, conflict and poverty, Somalia last experienced famine in 2011, when around 250 000 people died, and came close in 2017 and 2022.

This time, global cuts to foreign aid and the impacts of the US-Israeli war on Iran are complicating efforts to respond to food shortages caused by multiple failed rain ​seasons and ongoing insecurity.

More than one in three young children in the Burhakaba District of southern Somalia's Bay Region, which is estimated to have a population of around 200 000, suffer from acute malnutrition, according to the report by Integrated Food Security ​Phase Classification.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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