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

Making headlines: Hill-Lewis launches billboard with Ramaphosa's ‘admission’ that DA municipalities work better; SA targets 1.3m unregistered children with early childhood development reforms; And, South Africa on path to investment-grade rating, Investec says

Hill-Lewis launches billboard with Ramaphosa's ‘admission’ that DA municipalities work better

DA Cape Town mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis has declared that the good governance President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledges in DA-led municipalities must become the standard across South Africa, rather than the exception.

Speaking at the party’s latest billboard unveiling in Cape Town, Hill-Lewis positioned the DA's track record not just as a “local success story”, but as a blueprint for the entire nation.

The centrepiece of the DA’s new campaign is a striking admission from Ramaphosa. Hill-Lewis highlighted a statement made by Ramaphosa to thousands of ANC councillors, in 2025, where he remarked that, “Those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities ... they are often DA-controlled municipalities.”

According to Hill-Lewis, the President went as far as encouraging ANC officials to visit Cape Town and Stellenbosch to observe firsthand how the DA manages local government.

The mayoral candidate emphasised that basic, reliable service delivery should not be a luxury.

He outlined the core expectations that every citizen should have of their local government, noting that every South African deserves a municipality that delivers clean water, fixes potholes, collects refuse, keeps public spaces safe and spends public money on the people it is meant to serve.

SA targets 1.3m unregistered children with early childhood development reforms

Government is hosting the second Bana Pele Leadership Summit in Gauteng this week, underscoring its commitment to expanding early childhood learning as a critical development priority and a vital tool to redress historical inequalities.

In his weekly letter to the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised that Grade R is now officially compulsory in South Africa, meaning children must acquire essential foundational skills by the age of five.

Despite this policy, a staggering 1.3-million children aged three to five are currently not enrolled in any early learning programme.

Ramaphosa pointed out a sharp divide in educational access based on socioeconomic status.

The Bana Pele campaign, led by the Department of Basic Education, aims to dismantle these disparities. Ramaphosa reiterated that every child, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, deserves an equal opportunity to learn and grow.

Quality ECD shapes a child's cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioural growth, providing the bedrock for lifelong success.

And, South Africa on path to investment-grade rating, Investec says

South Africa stands a good chance of regaining its investment-grade credit rating within two years and next week’s mid-term budget could take another step toward that goal, according to Investec Wealth & Investment International.

The fund manager sees a more than 50% chance the country will restore its investment grade rating by 2028, propelled by economic reforms and fiscal discipline that have shifted sentiment after years of being shunned by investors.

investment strategist Osagyefo Mazwai said a sufficiently credible medium-term budget policy statement could support an initial move by Moody’s Ratings and S&P Global Ratings to one notch below investment grade.

Both ratings companies already have South Africa’s credit assessment on a positive outlook.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will deliver the mid-term budget update on October 21 and is expected to show continued growth in the country’s primary budget surplus – a gauge of how much revenue exceeds non-interest expenditure – amid stronger corporate tax receipts.

He’s also expected to lay out more details for a fiscal framework to ensure long-term budget discipline that keeps the ratio of government debt as a percentage of gross domestic product under control.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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