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

Making headlines: South Africa to establish new Commission to oversee State firms; Mashatile urges National Dialogue committee to resolve key governance issues ahead of elections; And, African Union to launch continent's first credit rating agency

South Africa to establish new Commission to oversee State firms

South Africa intends establishing a commission chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa to coordinate the work of its State-owned firms after shelving plans to place them under the auspices of a holding company.

The new panel will review a national strategy that outlines what role the firms should play and ensure the government exercises ownership in a coherent and professional manner, said Gwen Ramokgopa, a minister in the Presidency.

It will also standardise and strengthen governance practices, improve monitoring, and facilitate and coordinate the rationalisation and restructuring of the entities to eliminate duplication and improve efficiency, she added.

South Africa has scores of State entities, including power utility Eskom, logistics company Transnet, and South African National Roads Agency. A number of them have been dogged by mismanagement and financial problems, leaving them reliant on government funding to survive, which has spurred calls for improved oversight.

Some of those biggest firms fell under the Department of Public Enterprises, but it was disbanded in March 2025 and control was transferred to the relevant line ministries. A draft law was presented to parliament in 2024 that proposed the establishment of a management company that would oversee all State firms, but the legislation wasn’t processed and it was withdrawn last month.

Mashatile urges National Dialogue committee to resolve key governance issues ahead of elections

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has emphasised that the immediate priority of the National Dialogue Steering Committee must be to conclude all outstanding governance and participation issues, ahead of the upcoming the local government elections.

Mashatile stressed that these foundational matters must be resolved to strengthen unity and solidify public confidence in the ongoing political and social process.

The Deputy President called on all sectors to immediately finalise implementation plans, mobilisation strategies and dialogue methodologies.

Mashatile met with the National Dialogue Steering Committee today following months of intense grassroots mobilisation.

He welcomed a comprehensive progress report presented by the Steering Committee, noting that the groundwork laid over the past few months proves the vision of a citizen-led National Dialogue remains vibrant and continues to gain momentum across broader society.

And, African Union to launch continent's first credit rating agency

The African Union will launch the continent's first credit rating agency today, seeking to provide an alternative to the "big three" global ratings agencies as debt burdens weigh on many African economies.

The launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency will take place in Port Louis, capital of Mauritius, where the agency will be based. The project has been nearly a decade in the making, with African leaders endorsing its creation in 2018.

African leaders have long accused Western ratings agencies of failing to fairly assess the risk of lending to African countries and of moving too quickly to downgrade them during crises such as conflicts and pandemics.

The agencies reject that criticism, saying they apply the same methodologies globally.

A 2024 Reuters investigation into Africa's debt crisis found no evidence of systemic bias in the sovereign ratings assigned to the region by the three major global credit rating agencies.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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